Monsters
by Brian Night
Summary: Years ago, the souls of six dragon-gods were sealed inside Duel Monsters cards to prevent their battle from destroying the world.  But when the spirits of these cards awaken, their owners must choose to use their newfound powers for good... or for evil.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The stench of battle hung thick in the midnight air. Perched upon the hillock, Prince Jimu extended his arms from his sides as if he was all that stood between a violent world and the ancient temple that contained his destiny. An angry breeze clawed at his cape, bringing with it the sound of gunfire and the smells of dying men. It was an inane battle being fought in the forest below, a skirmish without reason or hope of victory. Yet if his soldiers could buy Jimu the time he needed to complete his plan, this mad crusade would mean an end to the war that had torn his kingdom in two.

It pained the Prince's heart to know that his victory came at the cost of the lives of so many good men. More saddening still was the knowledge that their enemies –the soldiers of New Asuka, whose territory Jimu's strike team had invaded- were equally innocent. For it was a civil war that had ravaged his kingdom for the past thirteen years, a needless conflict arising from the arrogance of Jimu's uncle and father, each believing themselves to be the rightful heir to the Asukan throne.

But their stubborn debate would be rendered meaningless soon enough. Jimu raised a hand to the empty glass case that hung around his neck, a case in which he usually kept his prize Duel Monsters card: Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon. The card had been a gift from his grandfather, the greatest king to ever rule Asuka, and it was the legend surrounding this card that had driven Jimu here, deep within enemy territory, to find the temple where the power of gods had lain dormant for millennia untold.

"My lord, I'm afraid I must insist."

Jimu turned to find Captain Minami again ascending the hillock to pester him with her naïve advisements.

"My orders were clear, Captain. We stand our ground."

"But your Highness, we're surrounded and outnumbered. If we don't get back to the helicopters soon, we won't get another chance."

"I will not warn you again: do not burden me with such trivialities. Once the Professor completes his work in the temple, your concerns will become obsolete."

Minami was standing at his side now. She wiped her raven hair away from her face, using her other hand to shield her eyes from the ravaging winds. "Then I humbly recommend that you find the Professor and tell him to hurry up. My men can't hold out much longer."

Jimu gritted his teeth. The Captain did have a point: the Professor had entered the Temple nearly half an hour ago; the ritual shouldn't have taken this long. Something must have gone wrong.

With a flourish of his cape, the Prince about-faced and marched down the hill, heading toward the temple entrance. "So be it. Buy me as much time as you can."

He barely heard Minami's "Yes, my lord," before he ducked under the ancient stone archway and began his descent into the bowels of the ruined temple. He took a flashlight from his belt and shone its light upon the stone walls of the sloped corridor as he made his way deeper and deeper into the darkness.

It was strange to see Egyptian writing here, so near the heart of ancient Asuka. But if his theories were correct, it was the Egyptians who had unleashed the powers of the six dragon-gods in the distant past, and it was the Egyptians who had then sealed them away, deeming their powers too great for mere mortals to control. But for the sake of his crumbling empire, Prince Jimu had to try. Awakening the slumbering gods was a monumental risk, yet Jimu had spent half his life uncovering their legend, and he was confident that he would be able to tame them.

His interest in the history of the crystal dragons had begun the moment he'd first laid eyes on his grandfather's Obsidiusk card, at the age of seven. Already a child prodigy at Duel Monsters, Jimu had yearned to know the story behind such a powerful card. He had spent every day for a year pouring through the royal library, eventually discovering that Obsidiusk was only one of six crystal dragons, each identical save for the elemental attribute it represented.

According to Jimu's findings, Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, had stumbled upon the dragons' resting place during a worldwide search for new monster ideas. Impressed with the carvings of the six beasts, Pegasus had turned each into a one-of-a-kind card, perhaps as a replacement for his failed Egyptian God experiment. But unlike the Egyptian Gods, the Crystal Dragon cards possessed no magical powers of their own, for the spirits they depicted had remained locked away where Pegasus had found them, in the very same temple Jimu was now entering.

Pinpointing the location of this temple had taken the Prince nearly a decade, but the hope of ending the war had prevented him from losing focus. Using the vast inheritance his grandfather had left him, Jimu had tracked down and acquired the other five dragon cards, two of which had been in the possession of one Professor Hiroka, an expert in Egyptian mythology. Based on various writings by Pegasus and his contemporaries, in combination with the text on the cards themselves, the Professor had pinpointed the location of the dragons' tomb. The final step was simple enough: organize a military strike team to escort Prince Jimu and the Professor deep into New Asukan territory and protect them long enough to release the dragons' spirits from their ancient slumber. To this end, Professor Hiroka had taken all six cards to the burial chamber under the temple, where he would recite an old Egyptian chant to break the seal on the imprisoned gods. Then Prince Jimu could use their power to force his father and uncle to reunite the kingdom and work out their differences, ensuring an era of peace and prosperity for all of Asuka's inhabitants.

But as he made his way further and further underground, Jimu could hear no chanting. In fact, this far beneath the earth, he could hear nothing at all.

"Professor Hiroka," he shouted, his voice echoing up and down the passageway. No response. The Prince kept moving.

Then, at last, he rounded a sharp turn and emerged into the burial chamber itself. His heart nearly stopped at the spectacle before him.

The room was bathed in torchlight, the walls strewn with hieroglyphs, the floor covered in the remains of the six stone tablets, and there, in the center of it all, was Professor Hiroka, his body levitating ten feet off the ground, his torso rigid, neck arched, eyes bulging, mouth open in silent agony and arms outstretched as if pinned to an invisible crucifix. Around him, swirling in a mystical cloud of entangled light were the dragon-gods themselves, a spectrum of discarnate spirits, a vortex of such contradiction that it seemed no force in existence could contain them. The discordant zeal of their freedom emanated from their dance, pouring outward in waves of enmity and benevolence, ire and tranquility, tenacity and vicissitude.

Jimu stood in the entrance, petrified by the palpable presence of such divine creatures. He could sense their magnificence drowning out the universe, their power so great it could tear the world asunder, their glory so overwhelming that he, a crown prince, was rendered insignificant to their notice.

But the Professor was not so oblivious. Their eyes locked for one crucial moment before Hiroka's body began trembling terribly, as if the fate of all things was bearing down upon his shoulders. His lips moved in soundless words until a raspy noise began to emanate from his throat, slowly progressing into a series of chanted words in some language Jimu could not comprehend. As the chant continued, the Professor's voice grew stronger, until finally the last word escalated into one long, tormented scream. The trembles turned into outright spasms and the Professor's eyes rolled back into his head.

Then, in a flash of blinding light, everything came to a stop. When the Prince's eyes had adjusted to the sudden darkness, he saw Professor Hiroka's crumpled form sprawled across the burial chamber floor. Only now did Jimu see that the Professor was holding something in his right hand.

The Prince rushed to his comrade's side and rolled him over, astonished to discover that Hiroka was not only alive, but conscious, if only barely.

He wanted to comfort the dying man, tell him help was on the way, but his brain was still reeling from the inexplicable ordeal that he had just witnessed, and all words seemed to elude him.

With a last great effort, the Professor raised his right arm so that Jimu could finally see what was in his hand: the six Crystal Dragon cards. The dying man stared up at Jimu with bright, watery eyes and with his final breath whispered "Keep… them…" He made as if to utter one last word, but in that moment the light faded from his eyes and his head fell back against the floor.

Jimu, too, collapsed to the floor, needing to calm himself and digest all that had just happened. The ritual had succeeded –that much was obvious. Professor Hiroka had unleashed the dormant gods. What had happened next, after Jimu entered the room, was less clear. If the six dragons had already been released, why had the Professor chanted another spell?

Slowly, the Prince's heartbeat returned to normal as his mind began to make sense of it all. After releasing the dragon-gods, the Professor must've been overwhelmed by their powers. If only Prince Jimu had been in the chamber with him when the ritual was completed, perhaps things would've turned out differently. Instead, it seemed that the Professor had used a counter-spell to reimprison the dragons, at the cost of his own life. But if that were the case, where were the spirits now? The stone tablets that had housed them for millennia were shattered. Had they been outright obliterated? Sealed inside the temple itself? Banished to another dimension? Jimu had studied Egyptian legends for most of his life, but this was the first time he had ever seen any proof of their existence, and the possibilities seemed limitless.

Yet one thing was clear: regardless of what had happened to the spirits, Jimu could no longer count on using their powers to end the war. His plan had failed. All these years of searching, a lifetime spent preparing for his destiny, had all amounting to nothing. New and Old Asuka would remain at war, and Jimu would be powerless to stop them. So many lives spent in a fruitless quest, and all Jimu had to show for it were the six cards in the professor's hand.

Keep them, he had said. Any other time, Jimu might've been tempted; they were, after all, among the most powerful cards in all Duel Monsters, and he was ranked one of the best duelists in the world. But after suffering so devastating a loss, a simple game seemed suddenly very childish.

He heard footsteps approaching. Then, "Your Highness, what happened?"

It was Captain Minami, to no great surprise. Jimu managed to rise but still couldn't think of anything to say.

"My Prince, we need to get you out of here now. The helicopters are ready to leave; they're only waiting for you."

Jimu managed a solemn nod and a weak "Yes." Denied the power of the dragon-gods, the helicopters were his only chance of returning home to Old Asuka. But before leaving the room, he bent down, closed the Professor's eyelids, and removed the cards from his hand. Obsidiusk he would keep, for it was rightfully his and retained great sentimental value. The others would go to Professor Hiroka's widow and two young children. The cards would do little to ease their pain, but after all Hiroka had scarified to assist Jimu in his doomed mission, it was the least his family deserved.

The Prince allowed Captain Minami to grab his arm and lead him up through the temple passageway. He did not know what would happen next. He supposed he would have to rebuild his life, find some new quest to pursue, maybe even return to dueling. Perhaps fate was simply not yet ready for him to end the war. Or perhaps ending the war wasn't his destiny after all. Maybe that destiny belonged to another, and if that was the case, there was nothing Prince Jimu could do but return to his father's side and wait patiently for that hero to emerge.


	2. Birthright

(Thirteen Years Later)

Chapter One: Birthright

It was the most powerful card in Yoshi Hiroku's collection, yet in all his life he'd never once used it in a duel. Diamair, the White Crystal Dragon: a Wind-Attribute, Level 10 Monster with 3000 attack points, 2300 defense points, and enough special abilities to keep any opponent on their toes. It had once belonged to Yoshi's father and had, indirectly, led him to his death.

Yoshi sat down on the corner of his bed and turned Diamair over and over in his hand. Though he had been only three at the time, he could still clearly remember the night he received the rare card. Prince Jimu himself had arrived at their house around midnight, forcing Yoshi's mother and sister to sit down before revealing the bad news. In addition to his condolences, he had given them five of the six crystal dragon cards, saying that Professor Hiroku would've wanted it that way.

Now, excluding a few old photographs, Diamair was the only thing Yoshi had to remember his father by. The card had always seemed too beautiful, too majestic to be used in a battle as if it were just any random card, but now Yoshi was beginning to wonder if he might not try it out, just once. Using it to become a great duelist would've certainly made his father proud, but what would happen if Diamair were to ever be defeated? Using the mighty dragon would feel like Yoshi was testing the strength of his own love for his father.

Then again, Prince Jimu used his black crystal dragon in every one of his decks and he hadn't been defeated in decades. Prince Jimu! Yoshi had almost forgotten; it was two o'clock, which meant the big charity battle between the Prince and some challenger from New Asuka was about to begin. He leapt off the bed and turned on the television, just in time to see the two combatants enter the filled dueling arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer cried, "It is my honor to welcome you to a special treat on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Today, I give you a duel like no other, a veritable clash of titans between Takuni the Terrible, reigning champion of New Asuka, and Prince Jimu, heir apparent to the Old Asukan throne. For a few brief hours, the war will be suspended, meaning that each player carries with them the trust and support of an entire nation. Duelists, please shuffle your decks and let the carnage begin."

Yoshi took a step back from the TV and watched as the podiums rose on either side of the playing field. The New Asukan champion was a burly man with neatly trimmed blue hair and a suit almost completely covered by dueling ribbons, but he looked no match for Prince Jimu, his raven hair tied back in a pony tail and his cape fluttering in the summer wind. Jimu's father, the reigning king of Old Asuka, was getting on in years, and some wondered if, in his mid-thirties, Jimu would be a worthy successor. But Yoshi knew that if the Prince was half as good a king as he was a duelist, Old Asuka had nothing to worry about.

Both players waited for their decks to be shuffled before picking up their starting hands. Yoshi had no idea what kind of deck Jimu would be using today, but it was certain to contain Obsidiusk, and Yoshi could only hope that he'd get a chance to see it played. The Prince had always been something of an idol to Yoshi; excluding Yoshi's own sister, Jimu was the only person in the world publically known to possess a crystal dragon card.

At that moment, there was a loud knock on the door and Yoshi instantly regretted leaving the volume up so loud. He thought about turning off the TV, but it was already too late; Akira must've heard the announcer's opening statement.

Yoshi swung open the door to find his sister standing there with her arms crossed and her golden hair pulled back behind her ears, a sure sign that she wasn't happy.

"Uh… hey Kira," he stuttered.

She tapped one foot against the floor. "Please tell me you aren't intentionally watching that murderer exercise his ego in front of a stadium full of people."

For thirteen years now, Kira had held to the theory that Prince Jimu was responsible for their father's death. She maintained that, even if he hadn't killed him directly –itself a strong possibility in Kira's opinion- he'd at least convinced the Professor to go on the trip that had ended with his death.

"I never said I was rooting for the guy; I'm just hoping to see him play Obsidiusk."

"If you want to see how a crystal dragon card is really used, I have plenty of my old duels on tape." Kira was the two-time national champion of New Asuka, and her own signature card, Ambrilliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon, was the centerpiece of most of her decks.

"Don't forget that if it wasn't for Prince Jimu, neither us would even have our dragons."

"Oh, I'm not forgetting. How could I ever forget the night our glorious leader tried to repay dad's life with a handful of Duel Monsters cards? Or the night he first came to our house with a full police escort, demanding that dad go with him on a suicide mission into enemy territory?"

Yoshi had to admit that, if it wasn't for Prince Jimu and his crazy theory about the legend of the crystal dragons, their lives would've turned out very differently. Their mother had never been the same after the loss of her husband, and soon afterwards, she'd begun suffering from migraines and tiredness spells. When Yoshi was fourteen, she'd gotten terribly sick, and they'd had to sell three of the crystal dragon cards to pay for a series of complicated surgeries. Nothing had worked, however, and their mother had died, leaving Kira to take care of both of them. That's when, only seventeen, she had begun competing in major tournaments, using the prize money to pay off the house and anything else they might need.

"What about that letter he sent us, after mom died? The one that made you my legal guardian, even though you weren't even an adult at the time."

"I was a month shy of eighteen, and he sent that letter out of guilt, not pity. But I didn't come in here to argue; I came here to have a duel. And if you could kindly turn off the television, I'd still very much like to have one."

Kira spent most of her time nowadays thinking up strategies and building new decks, and Yoshi was her favorite guinea pig to test them out against. Not that he minded; it gave him a chance to improve his own skills and learn from one of the best duelists in the country.

"Alright, let's compromise: the television stays on, but I'll turn the volume down."

"Mute it, and you've got yourself a deal." Kira pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket and sat down cross-legged on the floor with her back to the TV. Yoshi grabbed his own deck from underneath the bed and realized he still had Diamair in his hand. Deciding it was now or never, he inserted it into his deck and sat down across from his sister. After all, Kira was certain to have Ambrilliant and her deck, and this way Yoshi might stand a chance against her. He used the remote to mute the TV, where Prince Jimu and Takuni's duel was already well underway, though the Black Crystal Dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Yoshi and Kira cut each other's decks and drew five cards. The latter studied hers for a moment then said, "Rock-paper-scissors to see who starts?"

"That's okay, you can go first. You always win at rock-paper-scissors anyway."

Kira's mind was like clockwork when it came to games, and rock-paper-scissors was no exception. Yoshi had never once beat her in a game of pure strategy, and the few times he had managed to scrape a win at Duel Monsters were due to overwhelming luck. Like Kira always said, a broken clock is still right twice a day.

She shrugged, said "Suit yourself," and drew another card. "I summon one monster in face-down defense mode, and set one more card. Your turn."

Yoshi looked at the cards in his hand. He had quite a few normal monsters, which made sense considering that he was using what Kira called a "Vanilla Deck." She'd always insisted that decks with a strategy were more likely to win than those with pure power, so Yoshi had filled his deck with both: monsters that were strong in attack but lacking in special abilities, and plenty of spell and trap cards to support them.

"I'll start by summoning Luster Dragon in attack mode." No sooner had he placed the card on the field than Kira was flipping over her face-down card.

"I activate the trap card Bottomless Trap Hole, which not only removes your monster from the playing field, but from the game entirely."

"Great, I've only made one move so far, and you're already winning."

Kira smiled and moved the Luster Dragon card to the side of their playing area. "I've been winning since before the duel started. Your first mistake was letting me go first; if I had gone second, you could've summoned Luster Dragon before I would've had time to set my trap. Anything else or is it my turn now?"

"Not yet." Yoshi glanced through his hand again and was glad to see that he already had a good combo. "I activate the spell card Two-Man Cell Battle, which lets me special summon a level four normal monster during the end of each of my turns. And now I'll use it to summon Nin-Ken Dog."

Nin-Ken Dog was a Wind-attribute monster with a strong 1800 attack points and 1000 defense points, meaning that it should be able to defeat anything Kira could throw at it, and would also come in handy if he drew Diamair in the next few turns.

"Now," Kira said, drawing a new card, "I'll flip over my face down monster card to reveal…"

Yoshi couldn't help but burst-out laughing. "Batteryman Micro-Cell? You're using a Batterymen deck? Even you can't win using a deck full of those." The Batterymen archetype was known as one of the weakest in the game, and Batteryman Micro-Cell only had 100 attack and defense points.

"I wouldn't be so sure. You of all people should know the potential of monsters that most people consider weak. Do you remember that kid with the mohawk I beat in the national semi-finals last year? Well, he won his regional championship using a batteryman deck."

Kira had a point about the dormant potential in every card, but Yoshi wasn't buying it quite yet. "I'll believe it when I see it. Go on."

"Well, by flipping Batteryman Micro-Cell, I activate one of its special abilities, allowing me to summon another Batteryman monster from my deck, and I choose Batteryman AA." She found the card in her deck, placed it in her monster card zone, and reshuffled. Yoshi wasn't worried though; Batteryman AA only had 1000 attack points for each one of its kind on the field, meaning it was far weaker than his Nin-Ken Dog. "I now summon a second Batteryman AA from my hand."

That could be a problem. With two Batteryman AAs on the field, they would each have 2000 attack. Yoshi looked at his hand, already trying to come up with a way to defeat them next turn.

"Now," continued Kira, "I attack with all three of my monsters, destroying your Nin-Ken Dog and reducing your life points by 2300. Your turn."

Yoshi drew another card while Kira wrote down 5700, the number of life points he had left. But now he had the perfect card to get him back in the game: Justi-Break, a trap which, when activated, would destroy all monsters with special abilities on the field, meaning all of Kira's Batterymen. The downside was that it only worked when one of her monsters attacked, which meant he had to ensure that she was going to make one.

"I summon Thunder Kid in attack mode and use it to destroy your Batteryman Micro-Cell."

With 700 attack points, Thunder Kid was one of the weakest monsters in Yoshi's deck, but it had been one of the first cards he'd ever owned, and it worked well with some of his spell and trap cards. For now though, 700 was more than enough to send her monster to the card graveyard and lower her life points to 7400.

"By destroying my Micro-Cell," Kira stated, "you've triggered its second ability, allowing me to draw one card. But for now, it's still your turn."

"Then I set one card face-down. Go."

Kira drew yet another card, bring her hand total back to six. "I'll start by attacking with my two Batteryman AAs, triggering your trap card. And judging by the smile when you drew it, I'd guess it's a Mirror Force."

As shocked as Yoshi was the she had anticipated his trap, he was even more shocked that she had walked right into it regardless. "Not quite," he said, revealing the Justi-Break, "But in this case, it has the same effect. Both your Batteryman AAs are destroyed. So… if you knew it was a trap, why did you attack?"

"All good things in time, little brother. For now, I'll just set one monster face-down on the field."

As usual, Yoshi had no idea what his sister was up to, so he drew his next card and was pleased to see that it was another great trap card, one that would throw a wrench into any of her plans. But first he had to get rid of her face-down monster. It was probably another Micro-Cell, and Yoshi had the perfect strategy for getting rid of it. "I'll lay one card face down, then summon Mad Lobster. Next I'll equip Big Bang Shot to him, increasing his attack to 2100 and giving him the ability to damage your life points even when attacking a monster in defense mode, which I'll now demonstrate."

Kira flipped over her monster card, but it was a Batteryman DD. A defense of 1900 meant that Mad Lobster only dealt 200 damage to her life points, but at least she didn't get to special summon another monster to the field or draw a card. And now Thunder Kid was able to attack her directly for an additional 700 points of damage. With no cards left in his hand, there was nothing more Yoshi could do this turn.

Kira drew a card and laid it on the field straight away. It was a card Yoshi knew well because it was one of her favorites: The Calculator, which gained attack points equal to 300 times the combined level of all over her monsters. Right now though, that only gave it 600 attack, still not enough to even destroy Thunder Kid.

"Now perhaps you'll understand why I allowed all my monsters to be destroyed by Justi-Break. By removing from play two Batteryman cards in my graveyard," She placed her Batteryman DD and Micro-Cell next to Yoshi's Luster Dragon, "I can now summon the trump card of my deck: Batteryman Industrial Strength. Now I'll-"

"Not so fast, Kira." As soon as Yoshi saw its 2600 attack points, he knew what he had to do. "I activate the trap card Torrential Tribute, which destroys all monsters on the field." This included Yoshi's Mad Lobster and Thunder Kid as well, but it was necessary to destroy her ultimate Batteryman, and the look on his sister's face was more than worth it.

"So be it. It's your turn now, but I hope you draw something good, because now you have no cards on the field or in your hand."

Yoshi certainly hoped so too. He drew: Birthright. It was a good trap card, but whether it was enough to turn the duel around remained to be seen. He set it and ended his turn.

"Let's see," Kira said, moving her eyes across the five cards remaining in her hand. "I think I'll start by summoning another Calculator, and using it to deal 600 more damage to your life points. And I'll end my turn by laying one trap card face-down."

Yoshi noticed that she specifically said "trap" card, giving away the fact that it wasn't a quick-play spell card or some sort of a bluff. Unless, of course, she had made the slip on purpose in order to prevent him from attacking, which, knowing Kira, seemed likely.

He drew his next card. It was United Resistance, a level three monster with 1000 attack. It would do for now. "I summon United Resitance to the field. Then I activate my Birthright trap card, which allows me to special summon any normal monster from my graveyard, and I choose Nin-Ken Dog." He wanted to choose the slightly more powerful Luster Dragon, but since that card had been removed from the game entirely, it couldn't be selected by Birthright's effect. But Nin-Ken Dog was plenty powerful enough to get the job done. "Now, Nin-Ken Dog-"

"Ah, ah, ah." Kira waved a finger and shook her head. "Just some friendly advice, but I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Sorry sis, but I'm not falling for it. Your trap card doesn't scare me. Nin-Ken Dog, destroy her Calculator."

Kira's smile faded. "Well, you were right: my trap card was nothing to worry about." Then a brilliant grin covered her face, and Yoshi knew he had just made a costly mistake. "Nevertheless, you really should've listened to me when I told you not to attack. I was being…" She revealed one of the cards in her hand, "…Honest."

And just like that, Yoshi knew he'd lost the duel. Honest was one of the most unfair cards in Duel Monsters, yet according to internationally standard rules, up to three of them were still allowed in a deck. When discarded from the hand to the graveyard, Honest increased the attack of a battling Light-attribute monster by the attack power of its opponent. In other words, her calculator now gained 1800 attack points in addition to its original 600, meaning it was now more than powerful enough to destroy Nin-Ken Dog and reduce Yoshi's lifepoints by another 600. To make matters worse, the Calculator kept the attack bonus until the end of the turn, which meant Yoshi didn't dare attack with his United Resistance.

"Fine. Your turn."

Kira drew, and somehow her smile got even wider. "Don't feel too bad, Yoshi. Even if I hadn't used Honest, you still would've lost. I just drew the last card I needed to complete a nearly unstoppable combo. Watch and learn. I'll start by sacrificing my Calculator to summon the level six Batteryman Charger, whose special ability allows me to summon another Batteryman monster from my deck. I choose my third and final Batteryman AA. Now," She laid the card she just drew on the field, "I use Inferno Reckless Summon, which allows me to summon my other two AAs from my graveyard. Of course, if you have any other United Resistances in your deck, you're allowed to summon it as well."

Yoshi did have one other, which he placed on the field in defense mode, trying to do the math to see if he would survive to see his next turn.

"I actually don't need to use this card," Kira continued –she had always been far quicker at doing damage calculations- "But I will anyway, for the sake of completing the combo. I reveal my face-down spell card, Short Circuit. Because I have at least three Batterymen on my side of the field, this card lets me destroy every card you have, leaving you open for a direct attack. I have four monsters on my side of the field, each with 3000 attack points. Ergo, I win."

Yoshi sighed. He should've expected as much. If there was a player alive who could find a way to use the Batterymen effectively, it was his sister. He hoped that she would use the deck in an upcoming tournament; if champion-level players also lost against it, he wouldn't feel so bad. "Well, I guess you can say that experiment was a definite success."

"Are you kidding me? It took me six turns to beat you; this deck's way too slow. Still, it might be fun to use every now and again, to teach overconfident jerks a lesson in humility."

"Hey!"

Kira laughed and wrapped an arm around him in a consolation hug. Victories always made her strangely giddy. "I didn't mean you, silly. But now that you mention it, I do have a few suggestions to make about your deck, if it's alright with you."

"Yeah, shoot."

"Well, if you're going to be using normal monsters, there are some cards you're definitely going to need. Wait right here."

Kira ran across the hall to her room and was back thirty seconds later, handing him a half-dozen cards. "These three are all Heart of the Underdog, which is really the only reason anyone uses a Vanilla Deck these days. It increases the draw power tremendously, especially if you can get more than one on the field. This one is Non-Spellcasting Area, which makes your monsters immune to spell cards, which should go well with these two Nightmare Steelcages."

Yoshi accepted the rare cards and placed them in his pocket, realizing as he did so that he hadn't gotten a chance to use Diamair in the duel. But he might as well keep it in the deck now, as long as he added in a couple more Wind-attribute monsters to-

In an instant, Yoshi's head exploded with a pain so agonizing he was certain his skull had been shattered into dust. He heard his own scream like an echo in a torture dungeon, and his vision was obscured by blinding whiteness. For half a moment, he managed to gain control of his senses –enough to glance at the television where he spotted two great beasts battling amongst a storm- before the world fell away and his mind was engulfed in pure nothingness.

Then, all of a sudden, Yoshi realized that the pain was gone. He could still see nothing but white in every direction, and he felt pleasantly weightless, like his soul was flying outside of his body. And maybe it was. Whatever had caused the pain in his head must've killed him, meaning this infinite brightness had to be the afterlife.

_Do not be afraid, child, for no harm has befallen you._

The voice was soft and beautiful, yet not a voice at all. It was like a thought sent directly to his soul, a memory of sound entering his mind without ever being heard.

_There is no need to fear me, for I am your friend. You are confused. Ask your questions, and I shall explain all._

Yoshi tried to ask where he was, but found that he had no mouth.

_You are safe here, within your own mind. In the outside world, you are still in your bedroom, unconscious, though more time has passed there than here, and it will not be long before I must send you back. _

Whoever this being was, she –for the voice was distinctively female- could apparently read his thoughts.

_No, not read, not exactly. I heard your thought just as you normally would, just as you are now hearing mine._

Sort of understanding what she meant, Yoshi tried asking himself the questions he wanted to ask her. It felt odd addressing a being inside his own head. _Who are you? What do you want with me?_

_Is it not obvious to you by now, my old friend? I am Diamair, the White Crystal Dragon, and I wish to help you change the world._


	3. Royal Decree

Chapter Two: Royal Decree

Prince Jimu entered the stadium with his hands clasped behind his back and a wry smile plastered on his face. He gave a polite nod to his audience of ten thousand fellow Old Asukans before proceeding to the dueling podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer cried, "It is my honor to welcome you to a special treat on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Today, I give you a duel like no other, a veritable clash of titans between Takuni the Terrible, reigning champion of New Asuka, and Prince Jimu, heir apparent to the Old Asukan throne. For a few brief hours, the war will be suspended, meaning that each player carries with them the trust and support of an entire nation. Duelists, please shuffle your decks and let the carnage begin."

The Prince inserted his deck into the automatic shuffler and looked across the battlefield to see his opponent do the same. As a charity battle, it was common courtesy for neither combatant to use their regular dueling deck. But Jimu new that much more rested upon this duel than a million dollars for charity; his opponent was a representative of the enemy, and that made their duel an embodiment of the greater conflict between nations. No matter that Jimu considered both Old and New Asuka to be his rightful domain, and all of its inhabitants, his people; all the spectators would see was their Prince ready to crush the most powerful duelist New Asuka had to offer. And so he had chosen to use a deck he hadn't used in years, but one whose power was often severely underestimated. Today, he would unleash some of the most powerful monsters in the game against his opponent and, if fate was on his side, the most powerful card of them all.

The duelists' podiums each raised fifty feet into the air, with a fifty-yard state-of-the-art battlefield before them. The holographic generators hummed to life, so powerful that the illusions they produced would be completely indiscernible from true reality. To the audience, as well as to the duelists themselves, it would seem as if Jimu and Takuni were battling with living, breathing monsters, right before their very eyes.

In the announcer's box, roughly on eye-level with the two duelists, the head judge flipped a ceremonial coin. "Prince Jimu, being the elder of the two combatants, will call heads or tails."

The head judge just so happened to be an old friend of Jimu's father, the King of Old Asuka, and Jimu knew from his choice of words that the coin had landed on heads.

"I call tails," he declared.

The head judge hesitated before revealing the coin. "Heads!" yelled the announcer, inciting a rumbling "boo" from the audience. "Champion Takuni will decide who goes first."

Takuni went ahead and drew his card then, with a sinister smile at his opponent, answered, "I will. And I'll start by setting two cards on the field: one monster and one spell or trap."

The crowd was silent, anticipating their prince's first move. Looking over his opening hand, Jimu decided that the suspense would have to continue for a little while.

He drew a sixth card. "I begin by summoning Armageddon Knight in attack mode." He inserted the card into one of his monster zone slots, causing a larger-than-life hologram of the iron-clad crusader to appear on his side of the battlefield. His monster only had 1400 attack points, but attacking was not the real reason Jimu had chosen to summon it. "Armageddon Knight is a harbinger of doom, a herald of the darkness that is to come. To reflect this, his ability allows me to choose any dark monster in my deck and sent it directly to the graveyard. I choose Dark Horus."

Far away on his own podium, Takuni smiled. "Ah, a Hopeless Dragon deck. Pulverizing you should prove easier than I had anticipated."

"The name of my deck reflects your prospects in this duel," Jimu retorted. "Now, my Armageddon Knight, destroy his face-down monster."

The hologram rasied its broad black sword and used it to sever Takuni's card in two. It was Star Boy, a rather weak water-type monster. Interesting… in his research of the New Asukan champion, Jimu had never heard of him using a water deck.

"I finish my turn by setting one card face-down." Jimu saw that Takuni still had his own face-down card, though, assuming it was a trap and not a spell, Jimu's card would render it completely useless.

"Ah," said Takuni, "I seem to have drawn the Gold Sarcophagus spell card." This card would allow him to select any card in his deck and add it to his hand in two turns, but it would also give Jimu enormous insight into his opponent's strategy. "I choose to use Gold Sarcophagus on Bonding – H20."

Well, that certainly made things rather predictable. Takuni was playing a Water Dragon deck. Jimu couldn't remember ever facing one before, but he knew they required an enormous amount of luck to function effectively.

"Now," Takuni continued, "I'll normal summon Hydrogeddon to the field and use it to destroy your pitiful Armageddon Knight." A hologram of the Water-attribute dinosaur sprang into existence, and it quickly obliterated Jimu's only monster. "Because it destroyed one of your monsters, Hydrogeddon's effect allows me to summon a second Hydrogeddon from my deck, which can then attack your life points directly."

The Prince remained unconcerned as his life point counter dropped to 6200. Unless they dropped dangerously close to zero, life points were a rather expendable resource.

"Attack me all you wish," Jimu said. "It does not matter. Next turn, I'll destroy both of your monsters, preventing you from summoning your ultimate monster."

"Not with this spell card in play. I came to this arena for a civil duel with an honorable duelist, and I reflect this by activating Messenger of Peace."

Takuni's phony praise would do nothing to win over the audience, for Jimu had one of the strongest home field advantages in the history of duels. The spell itself, however, would be a bit of a problem. As long as it remained on the field, no monsters with more than 1500 attack points could declare an attack. That would make it exceedingly difficult for Jimu to destroy the Hydrogreddons before Takuni could use them to summon a Water Dragon.

"It's my turn now." Jimu drew a card. It was just the thing he needed to get his own strategy underway. "I'll begin by summoning Red-Eyes Wyvern to the field. And now, by removing my Wyvern from the game, I can special summon the greatest of all Red-Eyes dragons, and the centerpiece of my deck: allow me to introduce Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"

The silver-tinted, razor-winged beast materialized in the center of the field, stretching its long, spiked tail and sending a terrifying roar out into the stadium.

Takuni just shook his head and laughed. "I told you this would be an easy win. I put this card in my deck to deal with your Obsidiusk card, but it's already come in useful. I activate the trap card Dragon Capture Jar."

It wasn't at all the trap Jimu had expected, but he was able to counter it nonetheless. "And I activate my own trap card, Royal Decree. Now the effects of all other trap cards are completely negated, meaning your Dragon Capture Jar is useless."

Now Takuni look surprised, though Jimu still needed to get rid of his Messenger of Peace if he wanted to declare an attack. Currently, there was no card in his hand capable of pulling off such a feat.

"Since I can't attack, I'll just activate Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's special ability, allowing me to summon one dragon from my graveyard. Naturally, I choose Dark Horus, a mighty beast with a virtually unbeatable 3000 attack points. Your turn, Takuni. Make it count."

"Oh, don't worry, I will. Your Royal Decree may prevent me from activating trap cards, but it can't stop my spells. I play Soul Taker, which allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field."

That wouldn't bode well for the Prince at all. Unless… "So be it. Go ahead and destroy Dark Horus, my monster powerful dragon."

"Do not take me for a fool, Jimu. I could destroy Horus, but your Red-Eyes would merely bring him back next turn. Instead, I choose to destroy your Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon."

Jimu grimaced as his key monster was sent to the graveyard. But his dragons were servants of the darkness, and that meant that the graveyard was to them like a second home. And, on the bright side, Soul Taker did restore 1,000 of Jimu's life points.

"Now," Takuni said, "I'll summon Oxygeddon. That's right, Jimu, we both know what these means. Next turn, Bonding- H2O will be mine; then I can use its power to bring forth a creature like none you've ever seen."

The Water Dragon was indeed a very powerful monster, but Jimu had once held Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon in his hand, and compared to such a card, Takuni's dragon was pathetic. With only 2800 attack, it wouldn't stand a chance against Dark Horus. All Jimu needed was a way to destroy Takuni's Messenger of Peace.

He drew another card and took a long look at his hand: Dark Grepher, Dark Creator, Burial from the Different Dimension, and another Armageddon Knight. Still nothing terribly useful, but at least he now had a way to revive his Red-Eyes.

"I activate the spell card Burial from the Different Dimension, which sends my removed-from-play Red-Eyes Wyvern back to the graveyard, to accompany my Metal Dragon. And now I end my turn, allowing me to activate Wyvern's special ability. By removing it from play once more, I can summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon back to the playing field."

"True," Takuni said, "But it's now my turn, and you'll soon see that your two dragons won't stand a chance against my one. I'll start by allowing Messenger of Peace to expire, bringing an end to our truce. And due to Gold Sarcophagus' effect, Bonding – H20 is now added to my hand. Now I'll use it to tribute Oxygeddon and my two Hydrogeddon's to bring forth one of the most powerful cards in my deck. Behold the awesome fury of the Water Dragon!"

A torrent of holographic water flooded the battlefield below, swishing and twisting until it converged into one long ribbon, an enormous sea serpent comprised of shifting currents and raging rapids. "Due to Water Dragon's special ability, all Fire-attribute monsters on the field now have their attacks reduced to zero."

"I would be worried, Takuni, excepted that I don't have a single Fire monster in my deck."

"Of course you don't." The champion's confidence never faltered, and Jimu was now convinced that he was a lot smarter than he looked. "But I do. Perhaps you are familiar with the Lava Golem."

After thirty years of dueling, there were few cards Jimu was not familiar with, and Lava Golem wasn't one of them. It was a mighty 3000 attack monster that cost its owner a thousand life points every turn, which only made it more dangerous since Lava Golem could only be summoned to the opponent's side of the field, and only by tributing two monsters… two monsters belonging to the opponent.

"By the look in your eyes, Jimu, I see that you understand perfectly. I now sacrifice both of your dragons to summon Lava Golem to your side of the field. And due to my Water Dragon's ability, Lava Golem's attack is reduced to nothing. Now, my mighty sea dweller, attack!"

The Water Dragon lifted its ugly head and sent a blast of foam and freezing liquid straight at Jimu's new Lava Golem, destroying it and lowering the Prince's life points to 4400. "Are you done yet?"

"My turn is over, but I'm afraid it's you who's done, Jimu. It's no use denying it now; you've finally met your match."

"Time shall tell." In his heart, Jimu was indeed beginning to wonder if he might possibly lose this duel. If he did, it would be the first time he lost publicly in over twenty years, and it would cause a great spiritual blow to his people and, consequently, the war effort. In turn, the morale of New Asuka would be bolstered by their champion's victory, meaning more soldiers would volunteer and the fighting would become even bloodier. Jimu could not let that happen. Fate would not let him fail.

He drew his next card, and knew that destiny was on his side, for it was his oldest, most valued card: Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon. A card so powerful could not be summoned by normal summoning conditions, and it could only be special summoned by sacrificing three Dark-attribute monsters on his side of the field. Currently, Jimu had zero. He would just have to find a way to change that.

The stadium remained all but silent as ten thousand people held a collective breath. Jimu tuned them out of his mind, focusing on the cards in his hand and trying to figure out a way to use them to summon Obsidiusk. It did not take long for him to discover one.

"This turn I'll summon another Armageddon Knight, using its ability to send Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord to the graveyard. Your turn."

Now Takuni looked more confident than ever, having no clue as to the power Jimu was about to unleash upon him. "This is what the Prince of Old Asuka offers as his last defense? I don't even need my Water Dragon to destroy such a weak card. I'll summon Blizzard Dragon to complete such a menial task, leaving my greater monster to attack your lifepoints directly."

And so they did, Blizzard Dragon overpowering Armageddon Knight with its 1800 attack points, followed by Water Dragon's direct assault.

"Now you're down to only 1,200 life points, Jimu. Don't forget that this duel is being broadcast live to every corner of our kingdoms. If I were you, I'd give up now and spare yourself the humiliation of defeat."

The Prince stared his foe in the eyes. "But you are not me, Takuni, and I thank the heavens for this. For, unlike you, I am not a quitter; in fact, I am about to win this duel."

"You're bluffing. Besides your pointless Royal Decree, you don't have a single card on the field, and your life points are nearly gone, while you've yet to make so much as a dent in mine. Go ahead; make your final move."

"My pleasure, though it will actually take two turns to destroy you." Jimu drew another card, though he did not need it. "You've made the mistake of assuming that the player with less life points is losing; this is not so. Because I now have four cards in my hand, while you have only one; this gives me hand advantage. And I don't just have any four cards in my hand; I have just the cards I need to bring forth the most powerful dark dragon card ever created. Watch and learn.

"Thanks to your carelessness, I now have exactly five dark-attribute monsters in my graveyard: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Dark Horus, Van'Dalgyon, and my two Armageddon Knights. This allows me to special summon the Dark Creator from my hand." The Dark Creator was, like most of Jimu's deck, an evil, twisted version of a very powerful card. And, true to its name, this card allowed him to special summon one Dark-attribute monster from his graveyard, by removing another from play. "I use Dark Creator's ability to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon back to my side of the field, at the cost of removing one of my Armageddon Knights from play. Now I can use my Red-Eyes' ability to bring back another dragon, and I chose Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord. And finally, I'll normal summon Dark Grepher. Afraid now, Takuni?"

The look on the champion's face answered that question for him. Then again, few duelists could've kept their cool with four terrible monsters staring down at them, even I they were only holograms.

"Unfortunately for you, my legions of darkness are the least of your worries. Because by sacrificing my Dark Grepher, Dark Creator, and Van'Dalgyon, I can special summon the most powerful card in my deck, one that makes your Water Dragon look like a Kuriboh beside it. Now, go forth, my champion of darkness. I call upon Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon!"

Excepting Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, the Prince's side of the field was cleared of monsters, making way for a dragon so mighty that its colossal form pushed the hologram generators to their limits, its wingspan stretching from one side of the arena to the other, its shadow drenching the entire battlefield in darkness. This was always the Prince's favorite part of a duel: the moment when Obsidiusk claimed its dominance over every other card in existence, a hundred feet of pure terror from head to tail, all bearing down upon a helpless opponent.

With a great cry that blasted from every speaker in the arena, Obsidiusk declared his arrival. The dragon's ear-shattering roar was echoed by the audience's own, a chorus of cheers and jubilation, now that their Prince's victory was completely assured. Because throughout the Prince's long dueling career, Obsidiusk had become more than just his signature card; it had become a banner for all New Asukans to revere, a mascot of their nation's power and a symbol of the strength and authority of the royal family. And it meant one thing for certain: the duel was about to end.

The Prince silently thanked Pegasus, and the ancient Egyptians before him, for creating such a magnificent beast. Unlike the other dragons in Jimu's deck, all beautiful in their own right, Obsidiusk was not formed of flesh or metal. His entire body, from his razor-sharp claws to his pitch-black eyes, coruscated in the arena lights, a rainbow of pure darkness, a masterpiece of microscopic corners and sheer faces, a veritable god brought to life before their eyes.

The Prince crossed his arms over his chest and straightened his back. It would not do for Obsidiusk's master to appear anything other than divinely regal in his moment of greatest triumph. "I am sure you are aware of Obsidiusk's abilities already," he said to Takuni. "But for the benefit of those watching our duel, I shall explain. Once in play, Obsidiusk cannot be destroyed by the effect of any card. And with three thousand attack points, destroying him in battle would be extremely difficult even without his final ability; with it, he's virtually unstoppable. For as the lord of all darkness, Obsidiusk is granted additional power from each of his fallen servants; in other words, for every Dark monster in my graveyard, he gains 300 more attack points, bringing his total to a devastating 4500, more than enough to destroy your beloved Water Dragon."

And at this cue, Obsidiusk extended his wings to their full capacity, his head reaching to the sky above where black clouds were beginning to gather, his tail hanging so low it almost scraped the arena floor, his clawed arms outstretched, drawing the powers of darkness to him. The holoprojectors were working in overdrive now, forming a simulated cloud of shadow energy between the dragon's great claws. From where Jimu stood, it seemed as if his monster was drawing its power from the actual stormclouds above. The sight was breathtaking.

And when the dragon had summoned all the power it needed, it sent the cloud of darkness hurdling at Tukani's Water Dragon, obliterating it in a matter of seconds.

Save for the sound of thunder and the deafening hum of the holoprojectors, the stadium was silent for many moments. Finally, Takuni managed to regain his composure and said, "By destroying my Water Dragon, you activate another of its special abilities. For my beast is the incarnation of the ocean itself, and you should know well that water can be altered and displaced, but never destroyed. So I am now allowed to summon both my Hydrogeddons and my Oxygeddon back from my graveyard."

"I expected as much." Jimu realized that Tukani might draw another Bonding – H2O and use it to resummon his Water Dragon. Not that it would matter with Obsidiusk in play, but Jimu decided not to take chances. Destroying Blizzard Dragon would do nothing to help, and Hydrogeddons were far too easy to summon. That left only one choice. "Now my Red-Eyes-Darkness Metal Dragon will finish off your Oxygeddon. And with your lifepoints now at 5200, I set one card facedown and end my turn."

His face-down card was a quick-play spell card, able to be activated during either player's turn, though at this point in the duel, it was simply a precautionary measure. After all, Takuni had just two cards in his hand, and three dreadfully weak monsters on the field.

Nevertheless, Takuni appeared to have drawn something to give him hope, for there was a look of great vengeance in his eyes. But what card would be powerful enough to defeat one of the legendary crystal dragons?

"You are a fool, Jimu," Takuni said. "And with all of Asuka as my witnesses, I shall prove it. Your overconfidence, your misplaced faith in your dragon, shall be your downfall. Contrary to what you've assumed throughout this duel, Obsidiusk is not the most powerful card in either of our decks. There is another card that matches him point for point, and I've just drawn it. That's right, Jimu. I sacrifice my Hydrogeddons and Blizzard Dragon to bring forth my own ultimate beast: Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon!"

Jimu's shock at hearing those words was so palpable that he took a step backwards out of recoil. It seemed impossible that Takuni would even know the name of such a card, but to possess it, to have drawn it under such specific circumstances that he was able to bring about its summoning… the odds were astronomical. Jimu's mind reeled, trying to make sense of this impossible nightmare. Thirteen years ago, he had given Saphrine to the family of Professor Hiroka, along with the rest of the crystal dragons. And yes, the daughter had used Ambrilliant in many duels throughout her lifetime, but the others… he had always assumed them locked away somewhere, never to be used against him in a duel. And yet here he was, somehow forced to fight a dragon every bit as powerful as his own. This crucial duel had just been taken to an entire new level.

And the arrival of Saphrine was every bit as grandiose as Obsidiusk's. She looked his twin in nearly every way, though her lattice of glistening scales were tinted blue instead of black, and while Obsidiusk's imposing form exuded power and dominance, Saphrine's appearance seemed strangely calming, serene. This was not a being to be feared or worshiped, it was a god of mercy and compassion, a spirit of kindness and a friend to all. Such was the beauty of a crystal dragon that merely by witnessing its presence could Jimu sense these emotions flooding through him.

As if on cue, the dark stormclouds released their downpour all at once, but few of the spectators dared take their eyes away from the duel for even a moment. Not that Jimu was concerned with them anymore. Now, with the appearance of a second crystal dragon, the stakes had never seemed so high. But the battle was not over yet.

"I am sincerely impressed, Takuni. And when this battle is over, you will tell me how you came to be in possession of that card. But for now, I must warn you that our dragons are equal in power. You have exactly five water monsters in your graveyard, brining Saphrine's attack points to 4500. If she attacks Obsidiusk now, they'll both be destroyed, leaving you wide open to an attack from my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon."

Even with his microphone, Takuni had to shout to be heard over the raging storm. "You neglect to mention one crucial detail. In my hand, I hold one more card, and it's the only card I need. I equip that magic card Steel Shell to my dragon, increasing her attack points to 4900. Now, Saphrine, my Blue Crystal Dragon, destroy Obsidiusk!"

And as the hologram of Saphrine lunged forward and the unstoppable might of the two gods collided, they gave a united roar of infinite pride, echoed by the sound of true thunder, and there came a bolt of lightning that seared through the sky. And simultaneously, a storm of equal terror erupted inside Jimu's head, filling him with agony unknowable, with such overwhelming pressure that he felt to his knees and tried to yank the hair out of his head, as if creating an opening by which the despair could escape.

No. He was Prince Jimu, destined king of a united Asuka, and his moment of destiny was finally at hand. Something so trivial as a headache would not stand in the way of his victory. Rising to his feet seemed an impossible task, yet he managed, and found himself facing a scene of such incoherent reality that he was instantly reminded of that midsummer night thirteen years ago, when he and Professor Hiroka had first awakened the dragon-gods.

In the middle of the stadium, Obsidiusk and Saphrine did battle, tearing at each other with claws of glass, wings pounded to keep themselves aloft, tackling and biting and slamming and thrashing in a dance of deadly destruction. Now the Prince knew that he was witnessing something truly magical; no hologram was this advanced, not by far.

Obsidiusk lunged at Saphrine with full force, but she twisted out of the way, grabbed onto him as he passed by and, using her wings to create a spin of momentum, tossed him down into an empty area of risers; the audience had already vacated the stadium, no doubt both perplexed and afraid at what was happening.

Obsidiusk recovered from the impact, rising to all fours and climbing up to the top of the stadium, tearing out rows of seats as he moved. Then, perched atop the outermost wall, he stared Prince Jimu in the eye.

And now the overpowering will returned, so unimaginable that words like "pain" and "agony" no longer did it any justice. The Prince's world descended into shadow, an abyss blacker than evil incarnate. And then, without warning, all became calm. The stadium was gone along with the dragons; all that remained was complete, utter darkness.

And in the infinite darkness, Jimu heard a voice, menacing and intimidating, but wise and powerful too.

_At last, our time has come, my Prince. For so many years I have awaited this moment, my soul bound helplessly within a children's playing card. For so many years has my heart yearned to unleash the agony of my torment, to be freed from my eternal prison so that together, we might achieve our common destiny._

The Prince had thought himself speechless the moment he'd first seen the six dragon-gods brought to life, but only now did he realize what speechless truly meant. The sheer enormity of this moment was too great for his mind to grasp. Somehow, through his battle with Takuni, he had broken whatever spell the Professor had used to seal away the six dragons, which meant that all this time, the soul of Obsidiusk had been right under his nose, hidden away inside his own playing card. In retrospect, it all seemed so moronically obvious.

_Your assessment of the situation is correct, my Prince. By bringing the cards of my sister and I into such close proximity, you weakened the seal that kept us locked inside, uncovering the lock. And when our masters used us in a duel against one another, both of your minds were subject to such an array of emotion and desperation that the seals were broken, unlocked after all these years. Now I pledge myself to you, good Prince. I see in your heart that you wish to bring an end to this war, and so this quest shall become mine also. With my unstoppable power and your guidance, we will crush New Asuka and unite the entire world under our banner._

No… this was… wrong. This wasn't how Jimu had envisioned it. Obsidiusk was telling him everything he wanted to hear, yet it still seemed as if somehow the dragon was the one in control, not the Prince. Jimu had no ambitions for ruling the world, and he certainly didn't want to crush New Asuka; he merely intended to use the threat of violence to force his father and uncle to reunite the kingdom.

_Your wish is my command, my Prince. I did not mean to step beyond my bounds. If you desire it, then we shall begin our quest by forcing your father and uncle to surrender before our might. Then, once the empire is whole once more, we shall decide what is best for the future of our people._

Yes, that was a bit more like it. Together, as master and servant, they would bring an end to this needless civil war. But first Jimu had to find a way out of this dark prison and back into the real world.

_This is no prison; we are merely having a friendly conversation inside the mind we now share. You are free to leave any time you wish. And I do recommend that you do so very soon. For in the real world, we are about to lose a vital duel. When the masters of two crystal dragons duel with decks containing each card, the winner inherits the card of the loser, by divine right. We must defeat Takuni and force my sister Saphrine to join us. Then we must seek out my other siblings, to assimilate their powers and ensure that our enemies do not use them against us._

That all sounded very well and good, but Jimu still didn't know how he was supposed to win the duel. Before the dragons had awakened, Saphrine had possessed 400 more attack points than Obsidiusk.

_Which is why you must return to the outside world immediately. I cannot hold out against her much longer. Last turn, you set a spell card face-down on the field. It was fate that instructed you to do so, for this card is the key to our success. Now I need you to finish the duel and earn us a victory, so that we may move on to more important matters. Do you understand what must be done?_

The Prince understood, though he wasn't very pleased with Obsidiusk's condescending tone.

_Apologies, my Lord. We will have plenty of time to discuss our relationship later. For now, we have a duel to win._

And the next thing Jimu knew, he had zoned back in to the real world, where the arena now lay in ruins, the two dragons continuing their battle in the skies overhead. Yet, oddly enough, the dueling field itself, including the holoprojectors, seemed completely untouched. Jimu looked to the opposite podium where, judging by the look on Takuni's face, he, too, had just finished talking to the dragon-god he had summoned.

The Prince reached out to his face-down spell card and flipped it over. "I activate the spell card Shrink, which allows me to half the attack points of one of your monsters. And I choose Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon."

With those words spoken, her power seemed to instantly diminish. Obsidiusk grabbed onto his sister and carried her up into the ravenous stormclouds. Then, moments later he returned, both of them intertwined and speeding toward the ground with blinding momentum. In the last possible moment, Obsidiusk veered away, but Saphrine was not so fortunate, slamming hard into the ground and shattering into a million harmless pieces. Meanwhile, Takuni's lifepoint counter dropped to 4100. Since his opponent no longer had a single card left to play, Prince Jimu drew, signifying the official beginning of his turn.

"Now, Obsidiusk," He was pleased to find that his voice had returned, and it seemed now that when he spoke, his words carried extra gravity, "Attack his life points directly, ending this duel once and for all."

And with another great roar to the heavens, Obsidiusk complied, launching a mass of dark energy straight at Takuni's podium. Jimu realized what was about to happen too late to do anything about it. The podium crumbled fifty feet to the ground, taking Takuni with it, while his life point counter, appropriately enough, dropped to zero.

The Prince's own podium lowered to the ground as it was programmed to do, and he found himself surrounded by his own dedicated security team, Captain Minami at their head. Around them, the stadium was empty; even the reporters had refused to wait things out, though Jimu suspected that at least a few of the television cameras were still running, meaning the entire nation had just seen the end of their battle.

"Prince Jimu, sir… are you alright?" Minami offered him a bandage for his head, but he turned it down. There was no time to waste.

Above them, the storm had come to a sudden and complete halt, and the skies were clearing. Obsidiusk, now that the duel was officially over, was nowhere to be found. Yet the damage done to the stadium proved that he had been far more than just a hologram.

The Prince made his way over the rubble that had once been Takuni's podium, ignoring the questions of his security detail. There was no chance that the New Asukan champion had survived the collapse, and yet strangely enough, perched perfectly atop the rubble without even a scratch on it, was his Saphrine card.

_Though we are no longer imprisoned by them, these cards are still our dwellings, and so they cannot be destroyed. Saphrine is now rightfully yours, to do with as you please. She is weakened after such a devastating defeat, but upon being summoned in other duel, she shall be reborn anew._

The Prince picked up the card and turned to Minami. "You used to use a water deck, right Captain?"

"I still do, sir, but what-"

"Take this." He handed her Saphrine. "I have a very important mission for you, so listen carefully. I want you to take two dozen of your best men and head to Professor Hiroko's house. His two children still live there. Bring them to me, along with their dueling decks and any other cards you find in the house. Understood?"

"Yes, your highness, but what are you giving me this for?"

It was a good question. Why had he decided to entrust her with such a powerful card?

_Because it is her destiny, and she will need it to complete her mission. Do not forget that my siblings have also awakened, and the children you speak of are no doubt under their protection. If this is the case, the only way to acquire the other cards is to defeat their rightful owners in a duel._

That explanation made sense to Jimu, or it would after he had time to meditate upon it. Hopefully, the Professor's children still owned all four of the other dragons, but even if they didn't, they'd surely be able to explain what had happened to them, and how Saphrine had come to be in the possession of the New Asukan champion. And now that the entire kingdom had just witnessed Jimu kill Takuni on live television, the war was certainly about to escalate to a whole new level. The Prince would have to do everything in his power to stop that from happening, and for now, that meant acquiring the other crystal dragons. Captain Minami had to succeed in the task he had beset her; his destiny, and the destiny of the world, depended upon it.


	4. A Legendary Ocean

Chapter Three: A Legendary Ocean

Yoshi was glad that he was already unconscious, or he might've passed out at the words he had just heard. The spirit he was talking to was none other than his own Diamair card, and she wanted to help _him_, of all people, to change the world? How was one sixteen-year-old supposed to do that?

_With my assistance, of course, _Diamar answered. _And, in time, with the assistance of my siblings. I am not the only Crystal Dragon, as I'm sure you are aware. Your sister possesses Ambriliant, who is no doubt speaking with her just as I am speaking with you, and across the globe, the other four have similarly awakened._

Yoshi thought back to the battle he had seen on the television, just before he'd passed out. It had seemed like two enormous beasts were fighting one another, which meant that Prince Jimu must've summoned his Obsidiusk card.

_Yes, and he used it against Saphrine, which awakened us all from our slumber. And I also sense that Obsidiusk's master was victorious in his duel, which means two Crystal Dragons are now in his possession. What can you tell me about this Prince Jimu?_

For starters, Jimu was the heir apparent of Old Asuka, and had recently become the public face of his father, the king. He was also renowned as the best duelist in the country, though Jimu personally believed that Kira was equally skilled. And of course, the Prince had been the man who convinced their father to go on the mission that would lead to his death, but Yoshi refused to believe that Jimu had actually murdered their father, unlike Kira.

_And what do you know about this Prince's motives?_

Not one to be especially concerned with politics, Yoshi didn't know much. It was a well-known fact that Jimu was strongly opposed to the civil war that had been going on since before Yoshi was born, and that seemed like a pure enough motive to Yoshi.

_So it would seem. But as noble as the Prince's intentions may be, my brother will slowly warp them to his own liking. Obsidiusk is intelligent, and he is cruel, and he will do whatever it takes to control the minds of others. I fear he may use Jimu's longing for peace to advance his own goal of world conquest. We must not allow that to happen, no matter what the cost._

_But this conversation must now come to an end, for events in the outside world have progressed quickly. I can sense the approach of Saphrine and her new master, though it is someone other than the Prince. He must have gifted her to another. Still, you must not allow the Prince's servants to come into possession of myself or Ambriliant. And so I must ask of you a favor. Once you awaken, you will need to gather your deck and leave your residence immediately. Other than that, I ask only that you follow your sister's lead. She is under the guidance of my brother Ambriliant, and he will no doubt have a plan in mind. Can I trust you to do this, Yoshi?_

Yoshi was nervous about the events to come, and he didn't relish the idea of leaving his house and going on the run from the police, but he knew that Diamair was right: if the Prince was now under the influence of this Obsidusk, he had to be considered their enemy.

_Do not worry, child. You will do fine. And now, young Yoshi, awaken._

Yoshi rolled over and opened his eyes, just in time to see Kira do the same beside him. The television had been switched to an emergency broadcast message.

"Let me guess," Kira said, "You just had the strangest dream."

Yoshi nodded. "I don't think it was a dream though."

"I concur. Quickly, gather your things. You need-"

There was a loud knock on the front door. Then, amplified by a megaphone, a sharp female voice.

"Akira and Yoshi Hiroka. This is Captain Minami, and I'm here with the local police. We have your house surrounded. I'm going to give you exactly ten seconds to come out with your hands raised, or we will be forced to come inside."

Yoshi looked to his sister. "What do we do?"

"There's no time to get your stuff. But you have your deck and that's all you'll need."

"All I need? What do you mean? Aren't you coming with me?"

"No." Kira moved to the bedroom window, facing the rear of the house, and pushed it open. A half dozen cops were spread out across the backyard, blocking the way to the boathouse on the river that ran behind their property. "You need to get moving. Climb out over the roof and make a run for dad's old boat. The keys are under the boathouse doormat."

"But how do I get past all the cops?"

"Your dragon will take care of that. Now go!"

"Attention occupants," came Captain Minami's voice. "Your time is up. Please move away from the door."

Then there came a loud crashing noise as the front door collapsed and the police made their way inside. Yoshi heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Go!" Kira yelled.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine; trust me. These people work for Prince Jimu. They'll take me to him and he'll be forced to duel me for my Ambriliant card. But if I win that duel, Obdisiusk will no longer be his, and I can end this thing before it gets any worse."

Yoshi was still debating whether he should go or stay when the bedroom door burst inward. Kira made the decision for him, grabbing him and thrusting him through the window and out on the roof. He slid for a couple of feet before his feet touched the gutter, and he looked back up to see his sister in the window.

"I love you," she said, then slammed it shut and turned to face whoever had just entered the room.

"Hey!" came a voice from one of the officers in the yard below. "Get down from there, right now!"

Yoshi complied, shimmying his way down one of the columns that lined the back porch. He could see the boathouse in the distance, but there were six burly police officers standing in his way. Now what?

_Now it is my turn to uphold my end of the bargain. _

Yoshi was shocked to hear Diamiar's thoughts again, but thankful as well. For at that moment, a breeze swept across the yard, so powerful that all sound was drowned out and the cops were knocked to the ground. Yet the air around Yoshi remained perfectly calm, as if the eye of an invisible storm remained constantly around him.

_Now is your chance, my child. Run._

Yoshi did, making a mad dash between the disoriented officers, headed toward the pier and the adjacent boathouse. The winds continued to blow, buying him a few more seconds of time.

But out of the corner of his eye, Yoshi saw a figure enter from the side yard, still on her feet and fighting against the wind to catch up to him.

"Get up!" she shouted as moved passed the line of cops, but they all seemed to lack the strength to do so. Only this woman, whom Yoshi assumed to be Captain Miniami, managed to make any progress. Nevertheless, he still had quite a bit of a head start.

Yoshi didn't look back again until he had finally made it to the pier. Minami was still a good distance away, but close enough that he could see her raise an arm to the sky and, as she did, a light rain mixed into the winds and the water in the river become unusually rough. Yoshi knew how to drive the boat, but he didn't have nearly enough experience to do so in this kind of weather.

_Stand your ground, Yoshi. All is not lost. This Minami is using my sister's powers to force you into a stalemate. As long as she has Saphrine in her possession, you will be unable to escape, but as long as you are under my protection, she will be unable to get close enough to capture you. I'm sure you realize what this means._

He did. The winds died suddenly and the rain quickly followed. Captain Minami crossed the final stretch to the pier so that they stood only twenty feet apart. "You must be Yoshi Hiroko."

"And you must work for Prince Jimu."

"Correct. Let us not waste any time. We have your sister in our custody. Will you come peacefully, or shall we do things the hard way?"

Yoshi pulled his deck from his pocket. "Let's do things the hard way."

"So be it." Minami took her radio off her belt and held it to her mouth. "Lieutenant, I have Yoshi Hiroko trapped on the back pier. I need you to bring me a pair of duel disks."

"No need," Yoshi said, without planning to say it. It seemed almost as if Diamair was speaking through his mouth. "Our dragons are embedded in our minds. They will make us see all that we need to see."

The scowl on Minami's face told Yoshi that she didn't like the idea at all, but she said, "If we must. How does this work exactly?"

"I'll demonstrate by going first."

_Shuffle your deck,_ Diamair said, _and then drop it._

It sounded crazy, but Yoshi trusted his new partner enough to follow her instructions. He let go of his deck, only for it to be caught in a strong wind and carried a few feet to his right. Then the top five cards, born face-down on a light breeze, made their way to his hand.

"That's awesome!"

Captain Minami, whose deck was similarly levitating to her right, didn't appear quite as thrilled.

Yoshi swallowed and said, "I draw." At his command, a sixth card flew from his deck to his hand. He had some good cards, including one of the Heart of the Underdogs Kira had just given him. But he knew he had to play carefully; only by winning Minami's Saphrine card could he calm the river waters and make his escape.

"I'll start by setting one monster in defense mode." He chose Oppressed People, a level one monster with an impressive 2000 defense points, but didn't know what to do with it.

_Simply drop it._

He did so, and the card made its way to the center of the field where it remained floating, face-down, where the monster card zone would've been. "Now I'll set another card and activate the spell Heart of the Underdog."

"What does that do?"

"It means that from this point onward, every time I draw a normal monster from my deck, I get to draw another card as long as I show you that monster."

Minami licked her lips. "Interesting. But it's my turn now. I summon Skreech in attack mode."

Her card also floated to the center of the dueling area, opposite Yoshi's face-down, but around it there suddenly appeared a slimy, misshapen creature with two bent legs and some sort of spiky stalk.

_Do not be afraid. It is merely a manifestation of the power of Saphrine, and cannot physically harm you. Think of it as if it were merely a hologram._

Yoshi would've found the task a lot easier if the creature wasn't emitting a repugnant odor.

"Now, Skreech, destroy his face-down monster."

The odd creature attacked, but its 1500 attack points weren't nearly enough to destroy Yoshi's Oppressed People card. Minami uttered a sudden "Ow!" and recoiled as if she'd been pricked by a pin.

_She now has 7500 life points remaining._

"I don't know how you're pulling this trick off," she told him, "But you're going to pay for it after I defeat you. I set one more card and end my turn."

Yoshi drew one of his favorite cards, Cyber-Tech Alligator, and showed it to his opponent. "I activate Heart of the Underdog's effect, allowing me to draw another card." This time he drew Giga Gagagino, and showed that to her as well, allowing him to draw yet again. He hoped for a lower level monster this time, and his deck complied with Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Finally, he drew the trap card Birthright, ending his draw phase.

Now, with seven cards in his hand, Yoshi was feeling rather confident. "I sacrifice Oppressed People to tribute summon my level five Cyber-Tech Alligator."

Yoshi smiled as his monster, a half-mechanized winged lizard, appeared before him.

But Minami was smiling too. "I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all level four and higher monsters are unable to attack. This, of course, includes your Alligator."

So it did, but it also included her Skreech and any other powerful monsters she might play. Minami was obviously stalling, probably trying to summon her Saphrine card. Yoshi set his Brithright on the field, and waved his hand, inviting his opponent to begin her turn.

"I'll just summon Mermaid Knight. Go."

She now had two water-attribute monsters on the field. Assuming Saphrine was in her hand, all she needed was one more to special summon it. Yoshi needed to prevent that from happening. Luckily, he drew the perfect card for the job: Amulet of Ambition.

"Let's see… I'll start by activating my Birthright trap card, allowing me to summon one normal monster from my grave, and I choose Oppressed People. But this time I'll summon it in attack mode."

The card returned from the graveyard pile to the field, where a handful of miniature people, dressed like slaves and bearing farm tools, appeared.

With only 100 attack, this seemed like a foolish move, but of course, Yoshi had a plan. "Next I'll equip the spell card Amulet of Ambition. Now, when my monster battles a monster with a higher level, it gains 500 points times the difference. To demonstrate, I'll attack your Mermaid Knight. Since your mermaid is at level four and my Opressed People is at level one, my monster now has 1600 attack points, which just so happens to be enough to destroy yours. Since my Cyber-Tech Alligator still can't attack because of your gravity bind, I'll just summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, and end my turn." Now Yoshi had three monsters arrayed against Minami's Skreech. This duel wasn't looking good for the Captain.

She drew a card and sent it straight to the graveyard. "By discarding Warrior of Atlantis, I can add one Legendary Ocean card from my deck straight to my hand. But before playing it, I'll use the spell Heavy Storm, sending all spell and trap cards on the field to the graveyard." Minami's Gravity Bind and Yoshi's Heart of the Underdog, Amulet of Ambition, and Birthright cards all disappeared, in addition to the face-down Skill Drain he never got a chance to activate. Plus, with Birthright gone, Oppressed People disappeared as well.

"And now, with the field cleared of spells and traps, I'll play A Legendary Ocean."

As she did so, the waters in the river behind them swelled even higher, flooding the edge of the property so that both players were up to their ankles in water. Yoshi wondered if Diamair might tell him this was an illusion too.

_No, this is real, I'm afraid. Saphrine is using her elemental powers to make the changes to the battlefield physical._

"A Legendary Ocean," Minami explained, "is a field spell card that increased the attack and defense of all water monsters by 200 points. It also decreases the level of all water monsters by one, which means that I can now normal summon Giga Gagagigo, a level-five monster, from my hand.

The armored lizard materialized opposite Yoshi's two. It was a card he instantly recognized, because he was holding its more advanced form, Gogiga Gagagigo in his hand. And, since Giga was also a water-attribute monster, it now had more than enough power to destroy his Cyber-Tech Alligator.

"Now, Giga Gagagigo and Skreech, destroy both of his monsters."

Yoshi looked on helplessly as his Winged Dragon and Cyber-Tech Alligator were sent to the graveyard. He physically experienced the pain of their defeat and knew that his life points had dropped. In one turn, Minami had turned around the entire duel; perhaps Yoshi could do the same.

He drew Enchanting Fitting Room, a card that could either prove extremely useful or completely useless, depending on his luck. But at this point, it was a risk he had to take.

"I play the spell card Enchanting Fitting Room, which allows me to draw four cards. I can then special summon any level three or lower normal monsters among them, before returning the other cards to my deck."

He drew Thunder Kid, Mystical Space Typhoon, another Heart of the Underdog, and Baby Dragon. The two spells were shuffled back into his deck, while Thunder Kid and Baby Dragon appeared on his side of the field. This was exactly what he'd been hoping for.

"Now I'll tribute these two monsters to summon the mighty Gogiga Gagagino, a normal monster second only to the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon itself. And because of your Legendary Ocean, Gogiga's attack points are now at 3150, allowing him to destroy your Giga Gagagino."

Yoshi looked on with pride as the two armored beasts did battle, striking at each other with claws of metal. But as similar as they were in appearance, Yoshi's was clearly the more powerful of the two. Minami grimaced as her life points fell again.

_Now she has 6600 and you have 6750_, Diamair informed him. _You're winning._

"No matter," Minami said. "Because I just drew the one card I needed to take this duel to the next level. Do not forget that I was trained by Prince Jimu himself, one of the greatest duelists in history. This duel has been fun, but it'll take a lot more than powerful monsters to compete in the big leagues. I sacrifice Skreech to summon Superancient Deep Sea King Coelacanth."

The monster was level seven, but due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean, it could be summoned with only one tribute. Like some forgotten creature from the ocean depths, the colossal fish appeared on the field, gigantic and imposing, but still not quite powerful enough to rival Gogiga Gagagino.

"By discarding one card, I can activate Coelacanth's special ability, allowing me to summon up to four fish-type monsters from my deck. I choose to summon three Unshaven Anglers and one Royal Swamp Eel. Tell me, Yoshi, do you know what Synchro Summoning is?"

"Of course I do. I didn't start dueling yesterday." Synchro Summoning was one of the most advanced summoning techniques in duel monsters, and also one of the most powerful. By combining the powers of one "tuner" monster with one or more non-tuner monsters, the player could special summon a Synchro Monster to the field, as long at the level of this new monster was equal to the combined levels of the tuned monsters. In many ways, it was quite similar to a Fusion Summon.

"Good. Then you'll know that Royal Swamp Eel is a level four tuner monster. However, due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean, all water monsters have their levels decreased by one, which means my Royal Swamp Eel, and my Unshaven Anglers, are now all at level three. So my tuning my Eel with one of my Anglers, I can summon a level six Synchro Monster. And I choose Dewloren, Tiger Prince of the Ice Barrier."

Unlike the majority of the monsters Minami had played so far, Yoshi had to admit that Dewloren was a beautiful beast, a white arctic tiger with armor of black and gold. But with 2000 attack points -2200 thanks to A Legendary Ocean- it still could not match Gogiga Gagagigo.

"Now I can activate Dewloren's special ability. By returning any number of cards on my side of the field to my hand, I can increase his attack by five hundred points for each card I choose. So I'll return my two Unshaven Anglers and A Legendary Ocean to my hand, raising his attack to 3500. Then I'll simply place A Legendary Ocean back on the field, increasing his power by another 200 points. Now Dewloren will destroy your only monster, leaving you open to a direct attack my Superancient Deep Sea King Coelacanth."

This was the second time Minami had turned the duel in her favor, and Yoshi was beginning to see why the Prince had entrusted her with Saphrine. At this rate, she wouldn't need it to win the duel.

_Do not despair, little one. You still have 3400 life points remaining, and there is much we may do to win this duel yet._

"My turn now?"

"Not yet," Minami replied. "I also activate the spell card Level Limit Area B, which switches all level four and higher monsters on the field to defense position, and keeps them there as long as this card is in play."

At first, Yoshi was confused as to why she'd switch her Dewloren to its weaker 1400 defense points, but then he realized that the limit would apply to his monsters as well. Unless he could summon a level three or lower monster with more than 1400 attack, Dewloren was safe.

He drew Defensive Draw and set it on the field. At least it would serve to buy him a little bit of time. Then he set one monster on the field, Gene-Warped Warwolf, and ended his turn.

"Still trying to resist, are you? Well, at least now you'll get to see my strategy first-hand. I use Dewloren's ability to return Level Limit Area B and A Legendary Ocean to my hand, then, of course, I'll re-activate the latter. Now I change both my monsters to attack mode. Coelcanth, destroy his face-down monster. Dewloren, attack his life points directly"

The huge fish attacked, sending Yoshi's Gene-Warped Warwolf to the grave. But before Dewloren could attack, Yoshi activated his trap. "I use Defensive Draw, which allows me to negate your attack and draw another card."

"So be it. I stalled for the first half this duel; I suppose it's only fair that you drag out the second half. I place Level Limit Area B back on the field and end my turn."

Yoshi could see the brilliance of the Captain's strategy: as long as she had both Dewloren and Level Limit on the field, she could prevent any of his powerful monsters from attacking without limiting herself. He needed some way to get rid of one of those cards and break her combo.

He drew another card and realized that he had just drawn the second part of the combo Kira had given him. Back up at the house, a few of the police cars had departed, and he imagined that she was already well on her way to meet with the Prince. He wished her the best of luck, but knew that beating the Prince would be no easy task and, in case she failed, he had to take Diamair out of the Prince's reach. But to do that, he first had to win the duel.

"Today's not your lucky day, Captain. I activate the spell card Non-Spellcasting Area, which makes all normal monsters immune to the effects of spell cards, like your Level Limit Area B. Now I'll summon Nin-Ken Dog, and use him to attack Dewloren. And since your Tiger Prince is in defense mode, it's time to say goodbye."

Minami gritted her teeth. "No matter. I still have Coelacanth on the field and… well, you'll see."

"Perhaps. But don't expect me to give up without a fight. I also activate Nightmare Steelcage, which prevents all monsters from attacking for two whole turns. But with Non-Spellcasting Area in play, that only applies to effect monsters- in other words, your monsters. Your turn."

Minami drew and was unable to suppress a small grin. "Delay your demise all you want; you can't prevent it. Not with the card I just drew. I'll activate Coelacanth's ability again, allowing me to special summon three 7 Colored Fish and another Royal Swamp Eel from my deck. Then I tune my Eel and one of my Fish to resummon Dewloren to the field. Since my Level Limit Area B has now become useless, I'll use his ability to return it to my hand. Finally, I'll sacrifice Dewloren and my last two 7 Colored Fish to summon Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon."

She said its name with such lack of emotion that it seemed almost disrespectful to the awakened dragon-god. But Saphrine nonetheless appeared on the battlefield, towering over both players, imposing and beautiful, her majestic scales and soothing color instilling a strange sense of calm in Yoshi.

_Do not let her appearance fool you. My sister is a pacifist by nature, but like any body of water, she can still be quite dangerous when treated without proper reverence. Do not underestimate her power._

"I'm impressed," Yoshi admitted. "But even Saphrine can't escape the power of my Nightmare Steelcage. Anything else?"

"Nothing for now."

"Good." Yoshi drew Sabersaurus and set it on the field. Then, without any other foreseeable strategy except stalling for time, he switched Nin-Ken Dog to defense mode.

Captain Minami drew another card and this time made no effort to hide her glee. "Earlier, you said today wasn't my lucky day. I'm afraid you turned out to be very, very wrong. Not only have I summoned the most powerful Water-attribute monster in existence, but I've just drawn the last card I needed to complete the strategy that will seal your fate. It had been a fun duel, Yoshi Hiroko, but all good things must come to an end, and I'm afraid our duel ends now."

Yoshi was both worried and confused. She was talking as if she was going to win the duel this turn, but even if she did get rid of his Nightmare Steelcage before it expired, she'd still have to destroy both of his monsters before attacking his lifepoints.

_Stay strong, Yoshi. As calm as they appear, I sense much turmoil within Saphrine and her master. It seems Minami is unwilling to accept the advice of my dear sister, and this may prove her undoing._

"First, I sacrifice Superancient Deep Sea King Coelecanth to summon yet another powerful Water monster, Levia-Dragon Daedalus." The long, finned sea serpent took its position at Saphrine's side, and Yoshi noticed the enormous dragon eyeing it with a look of slight annoyance, as if she wished to defeat Yoshi without the help of another monster.

"But as powerful as Levia-Dragon Daedalus is, it still won't be enough to completely ensure my victory. But its upgraded form certainly will be. Allow me to introduce Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus!"

As she played the card, Daedalu's body thickened, its fins lengthened, and its neck and head split into two separate but equally ferocious halves. Now there were two enormous beasts, one repugnant and one divine, bearing down upon Yoshi and his line of defense.

"Lastly, I'll activate Neo-Daedalus' special ability, which allows me to send every card on the field and in both player's hands directly to the graveyard. Of course, Daedalus is immune to its own effect and Saphrine can't be destroyed by monster effects. Ergo, there will be nothing you can do to protect yourself against the attacks of my two unstoppable monsters."

To reflect her words, the waters around them grew even higher, leaping up into a great column that engulfed the entire battlefield between the two duelists. Then the water subsided, lowering back to the level of the river, and leaving behind not a single card or monster, save for Neo-Daedalus itself.

Yoshi was ecstatic to see her make such an amateur mistake. Captain Minami seemed shocked and bewildered. It took her a few moments to finally verbalize her thoughts. "What happened to Saphrine? She should still be on the field."

Yoshi couldn't help but feel pleased, even though he was still about to lose the battle. But at least now he would survive to see another turn.

"Look at your card text again. You really should've studied Saphrine better before using her in a duel. And I bet that if you would've tried listening to her advice, she might've prevented you from making your mistake."

Minami reached toward her card graveyard and Saphrine flew to her hand. She read the text aloud. "This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card cannot be special summoned except by tributing three water monsters from your side of the field. This card gains 300 attack and defense for each water monster in your graveyard and cannot be destroyed by the effects of spell, trap, or monster cards." She looked up at Yoshi. "Exactly. So Saphrine shouldn't have been destroyed by Daedalus' effect."

Yoshi decided to draw out the moment for all it was worth. He shrugged. "She wasn't destroyed."

Minami's lip quivered. "Then _why_ is she in the graveyard?"

"I suggest you read the text on Ocean-Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus again as well."

"I know what my own card does; I don't need-"

"Well then, let's move on with the duel."

"Alright, fine, I'll read it. 'This card cannot be normal summoned or set… blah, blah, blah… send all cards in both players' hands and on the field to the graveyard, except this card.' But I still don't get… oh. Oh no…"

"Now you understand." Yoshi decided to spell it out for her, hoping to throw her mind off balance and open an opportunity for him to win the duel. "The Cyrstal Dragons can't be _destroyed_ by monster effects, but Neo-Daedalus' effect doesn't destroy monsters; it sends all cards _directly_ to the graveyard. It's a minor difference in wording but, as I'm sure you know, according to the international rules, sending a card to the graveyard is not the same as destroying it."

For one second, Minami looked like she was about to tear her Saphrine card in two, but she quickly regained her composure and returned it to the graveyard so that the duel could continue. "No matter. It's still my turn, and I still have the only monster on the field. Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus, attack his lifepoints directly."

The sea serpent roared and lunged, and though Yoshi felt no force from the impact, he did feel a sudden burst of pain which sent him to his knees. He barely had enough strength to stand up again, and knew he had very few life points left.

_You have five hundred. But that's all you're going to need._

Yoshi appreciated Diamair's confidence, even though it was unwarranted. He had no cards on the field or in his hand, and his opponent still had almost all of her lifepoints left. She was about to win his prized Diamair card, the card his father had left to him, and the one destiny had entrusted him to protect. Well, destiny must've made a poor choice. Diamair would've been better off with Kira, a duelist who could actually use it to its full potential. By now, she was probably well on her way to the royal palace, ready to use her crystal dragon to defeat the prince and save the kingdom. And here he was, running away like a coward, and not even able to accomplish that successfully.

_Stop it. I told you to trust in your sister and my brother, and that it what you have done. You have made no error, in this decision or in any during this duel. It is your destiny to escape from this encounter and so it shall be. I placed my trust in you, but now I need you to place your trust in me. Or have you forgotten? It is now your turn, which means you get to draw one card._

Yoshi couldn't think of a single card in his deck that could save him now, but, inspired by Diamair's speech, he hoped for the best and drew from his deck.

It was Pot of Avarice, which would allow him to draw two more cards by returning five monsters from his graveyard to his deck. Of course, after losing so much of the duel, he had way more than five to choose from.

_Choose any you wish, but Gogiga Gogagino must be among them._

That was insane. It made much more sense to return low level monsters to the deck and hope for a card that could revive one of the more powerful ones.

_And which card would that be?_

Well, Birthright would work… except his only copy was already in the graveyard. And there was Silent Doom, but a monster revived with that card couldn't attack. Yoshi wished now more than ever that he'd been able to afford a Monster Reborn for his deck.

_Do not think that way. Your deck is perfect just the way it is, perfect for what it needs to accomplish in the upcoming duels. Put faith in yourself and in your cards, and they will not fail you. And I also ask that you trust in me. Return Gogia Gogagino to your deck. It is the only way you might win._

Yoshi didn't see how, but he agreed that despairing wouldn't help anything. The duel wasn't over until it was over, and Kira had showed him tapes of great duelists making comebacks from equally lopsided situations. Of course, Yoshi was no great duelist, but he had learned from the best, and perhaps that would be enough. He returned five monsters to his deck, shuffled it, and drew his first of the two cards.

It was Gogiga Gagagino, one of the cards he had just returned. Of course, being a level eight monster, it required two sacrifices to summon. The only card Yoshi knew of that would be able to do so was Enchanting Fitting Room, but he had already used up his only one. But maybe Diamair knew something he didn't.

He drew his second card and at once realized how narrowminded he had been. He didn't need to sacrifice two monsters to summon Gogiga, not with this card instead. It turned out that Diamair had been right along: even with the odds stacked so heavily against him, Yoshi's deck had not let him down.

"We can stand here all day," Minami said, "But sooner or later, you have to make a move. You might as well get it over with, so that I can take you to meet up with your sister and the Prince."

"As much as I'd like to accept that offer, Kira's going to have to be on her own for now. Because, believe it or not, I just drew the two cards which are going to win me this duel. According to modern rules, a level eight monster needs two tributes to summon. But this was not always so. When Duel Monsters was first created, any normal monster could be summoned without cost. And with this spell card, that rule lives on. I activate Ancient Rules, allowing me to summon one level five or higher normal monster from my hand, and I choose Gogiga Gagagino."

His armored lizard took to the field once again, a beast of equal ferocity with Minami's Neo-Daedalus. But Gogogia had fifty more attack points, and that made all the difference. The two monsters did battle for but a brief moment before Yoshi's emerged the victor and Minami lost the only card she had on the field. Now it was her turn to hope for a good card, because she would need one if she wanted to defeat Gogiga Gogagino.

_She still 6550 life points remaining._

Not for long.

Minami hadn't moved since Yoshi had made his move, but now the shock seemed to have faded and she looked down to the ground. Then she reach out as if to draw a card from her hovering deck, but didn't move her hand from the top card.

"Wait… you…"

"Yes," she said. "The odds of you drawing those exact two cards are astronomical. It is clear to me now that it is your destiny to win this duel, and not my own. So I will not draw this out any longer. I concede defeat."

At this, Gogiga Gagagino disappeared and all the cards in the graveyards returned to their owner's decks, save Saphrine, which returned to Yoshi's. He studied it for a brief moment before adding it to his deck and placing it in his pocket.

"Thank you, Captain. If you don't mind, make sure my sister's okay."

"You have nothing to worry about. The only thing your sister has to fear is an impending defeat from Prince Jimu."

"Well, we'll have to agree to disagree about that one," Yoshi said. "Because between you and me, your Prince doesn't stand a chance."

But even as he turned back to the pier and made his way into the boathouse, taking the key from under the doormat, Yoshi knew that Prince Jimu stood more than a chance. Kira was one of the best duelists in the country, but Jimu was one of the greatest ever. Yoshi was almost disappointed that he wouldn't get to see their duel now, for it would surely be one for the ages.

By the time he started up the boat, the waters in the river had subsided. Yoshi glanced back at his home only once before turning away downstream, wondering how long it might be until he returned.

_It will be sooner than you think. But for the time being, you must leave not only your home behind, but your country. You must follow this river until it empties, and then follow the coastline to the land now called New Asuka. It is there that your destiny awaits you, for we will need assistance if we are to prevent Prince Jimu and Obsidiusk from completing their quest. I want to end this war as much as they do, as much as you do, but conquest is not the way. And so we shall go to King Daichi and request a ceasefire, and together determine what precautions must be made, if your sister does not succeed in the task my brother Ambriliant has beset her._

Yoshi couldn't believe Diamair actually expected him to take this little motor boat all the way to New Asuka. There was an enormous sea separating the two.

_It is not as far as you might think, not compared to many of the great journeys of the past. With the wind at your back, you should make it to your destination by sundown. Besides, you should have no trouble conquering a small sea, for today you have already conquered an ocean._


	5. Honest

Chapter Four: Honest

Prince Jimu's eyes were open, though the room was so dark he could see only endless shadow, just as he had during his first encounter with the mind of Obsidiusk. But this time he was still in the physical world, sitting cross-legged in the center of his private meditation chamber, where no sound or light could interfere with his concentration. After staring at the shadows for so long, he began to see shapes forming within them. He knew it was just his own mind playing tricks on him, but it was a useful technique for visualizing his thoughts.

The destiny that had once eluded him was once again firmly within his grasp, though this time he had only one of the six crystal dragons under his command. As impressive as Obsidiusk's power was, it alone was not enough to ensure his victory. First he would have to prevent any potential adversaries from using the other Crystal Dragons against him, just as Takuni had in his final duel, and the only way to do that was by winning them for his own.

Obsidusk was safe, hanging again in the clear case around his neck, where it belonged. Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon, was in the possession of Captain Minami, his most loyal servant, and as far as he knew, Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon, still belonged to Akira Hiroko, the Professor's daughter. That still left three dragons unaccounted for, but he was almost certain that Akira knew where they were, if she didn't still have them. He could only hope Captain Minami would show up soon with the two Hiroko children. Then he could threaten the younger to force the elder into giving him her dragon card, and revealing the location of the remaining three.

_And if she refuses, then we shall crush her, banishing her and her brothers to the shadows for all eternity._

The Prince shuttered at the voice of Obsidiusk in his mind. He knew the dragon was only trying to help, but Jimu wouldn't let things go that far. He knew that with Yoshi Hiroko as his hostage, the threat of violence would be enough to force his sister's cooperation. The children had as of yet done nothing wrong, and he would not let them come to harm unless there was no other choice.

Then, once he had all six dragons gathered under his command, he would be the most powerful being in the world. He would usurp the thrones of his father and uncle, and reunite Old and New Asuka into one mighty kingdom, a glorious Asukan Empire that would spread peace and prosperity across the globe, with he as their benevolent ruler.

_And we shall obliterate any that dare stand in the way of our conquest, even if that means wiping New Asuka from the face of the earth._

Jimu was confident it would not come to that. His father may have wanted to win the war at all costs, but the Prince merely wanted it to end, peacefully if at all possible. While completely destroying New Asuka was one way to achieve that goal, it would leave Asuka crippled, and result in the needless deaths of countless millions.

_I apologize for my brashness, great Prince. I only wished to express my enthusiasm for your goals. As always, you shall lead us to victory, and I, your loyal dragon, shall follow your every word._

Jimu grinned in the dark. The spirit of Obsidusk had turned out more violent than he had anticipated, but the Prince's will was stronger still, and he was confident that he could keep the dragon's temper under control.

He was pulled out of his thoughts but a loud banging on the door. His servants were under explicit orders not to interrupt him except during the direst of circumstances. Unless Minami had returned from her mission, someone was about to suffer his royal wrath.

_I do not sense my sister Saphrine anywhere in the vicinity._

Then that meant Captain Minami, Saphrine's owner, wasn't the one knocking on his door. Disappointed, Jimu rose and said, "Lights, activate. Door, open."

The palace's computer obeyed his commands and Jimu was startled to discover that his visitor was Captain Minami after all.

"Where is the Saphrine card I gave you?"

Minami bowed. "My sincerest apologies, your Highness. I was defeated by the Hiroko boy, who took it from me."

The Prince was shocked. "Are you telling me that a mere sixteen-year old boy defeated you, the head of my security detail, in a game of wits? I am extraordinarily disappointed, Minami."

"Not nearly as disappointed as I am in myself, sir. But I must mention that his victory was due only to an extraordinarily amount of luck."

_Luck… or destiny? We must be cautious of this boy._

Jimu agreed with his companion. "What's done is done. What of his sister?"

"Akira Hiroko willingly entered our custody. We are holding her in the detention wing, though she is very eager to speak with you."

"And I with her. Did she have any of the Crystal Dragon cards on her person?"

"I'm afraid I was unable to ascertain that information. She seems to be under some sort of… protective spell."

_That would be my brother, Ambriliant. The only way to add him to our forces is to defeat this Akira in a duel. Until then, he is rightfully hers, and unable to be taken by mere force._

Jimu suspected that a duel was exactly what Akira desired, and he was more than happy to oblige. "Then you have not completely failed me, Captain. Retrieve our prisoner and bring her to the main dueling arena. I will meet you there."

"At once, my Lord."

Before heading to the arena, the Prince stopped in his private quarters to make a few last minute modifications to his most powerful deck. As with all of his decks, it was filled with dark monsters to facilitate the summoning of Obsidiusk. Likewise, Akira was bound to use a light deck so that she could include Ambriliant and, judging by her previous public battles, that meant many Lightsworn monsters. Jimu added a few extra cards to his deck to counter this strategy, and finally laid his prized Obsidusk card on top.

By the time he arrived at the main dueling arena, located deep within the heart of the royal palace, Jimu's opponent was already waiting for him. He gave her a menacing smile as he mounted his podium and inserted his dueling deck.

"You must be Akira Hiroko. Welcome to my home. I've heard so much about you."

For someone so young, the girl seemed remarkably unintimidated by his presence. She stood straight and tall opposite him, her golden hair flowing behind her and her deep eyes staring over the battlefield and straight into his. "My friends call me Kira, actually."

"Well then, Kira, are you ready to begin our duel?"

She laughed. "That's Ms. Hiroko to you. But yes, I am more than ready. I have included my crystal dragon in my deck, and I am sure you have done the same. This means that the victor will inherent both cards."

"That is correct. But let's increase the stakes, shall we? If you win this duel, I'll let you and your brother go free."

"You're lying. My brother isn't in your custody. But what do you want me to wager against my freedom?"

"Nothing of great value. When you were a little girl, I gave your family five unique crystal dragon cards. I was quite surprised to find one of these cards used against me in my duel earlier today. So I want your word that, if I win, you will tell me all you know about the current location of the other three crystal dragon cards: Diamair, Hematera, and Rubustion. In exchange, I give you my word that if you win, you shall be allowed to leave this palace and travel anywhere within my father's realm without hindrance."

"You have my solemn oath. And our dragons will hold us to our promises. But I came here to destroy you, not to talk."

"Then by all means," said the Prince, "Let us begin our duel. As a lady and my honored guest, it is only proper that you go first." 

"As you wish." Kira drew her starting hand, and allowed a full minute to pass as her eyes moved back and forth across the six cards. The Prince had known that this would not be an easy duel, but now he was absolutely certain: here, at last, was a duelist in his own league, an opponent worthy of his full concentration. He would hold nothing back in the upcoming duel, for he expected nothing less from Kira.

At last, she made her move. "I start by using the spell card Foolish Burial, which allows me to send one monster directly from my deck to my graveyard. I choose Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. This activates Wulf's special ability: whenever he is sent straight from my deck to my graveyard, he is special summoned to my side of the field."

The Prince was pleased to see that he would be facing off against a Lightsworn deck, just as he had anticipated. Lightsworns were a series of extremely powerful monsters dedicated to the service of truth and justice. With 2100 attack points, Wulf was already a major threat on the field, and by the look in her eyes, Kira was just getting started.

"Next I'll play the spell Charge of the Light Brigade. By sending the top three cards of my deck to my grave, I can add one Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner. Now I'll use another spell card: Solar Recharge. By discarding Lumina, I can draw two new cards. This brings my hand total back to five."

She stared at her hand for another thirty seconds. "Now I'll summon another Lumina to the field and activate her special ability. By discarding one card form my hand, " She selected Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, "I can summon a low-level Lightsworn monster from my graveyard. And I choose to summon my other Lumina."

Now Kira had Wulf and two Luminas on the field. "Now I'll activate the ability of my second Lumina, discarding one more card to summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin. Lastly, I set one card face-down." Now that her turn was over, Kira had to pay a cost to keep her Lightsworn monsters on the field, a fact that she was certainly aware of. "I now send eight more cards from the top of my deck to my grave: three for each Lumina and one for Jain. And… what do we have here?" She held up one of the eight cards she had just discarded: another Wulf. "This Wulf's ability also activates, summoning it to my side of the field. Your turn."

Jimu had yet to even draw a card and already he was facing off against a full field of enemy monsters: two Luminas, two Wulfs, and one Jain. "I'm impressed. This should be a very interesting duel."

She wiped a swath of hair out of her eyes. "Did you really expect any less? I didn't win the national championship twice by allowing my opponents to gain the upper hand. Now take your turn."

"Of course." Jimu drew, and studied his own series of cards. Kira had obviously started with an excellent hand, but so had he. Now he just had to decide on the best way to put them to use. "Allow me to start by mentioning that the only reason you won the last two championships was because I did not compete."

"Of course. You were busy murdering your own people in the name of Old Asuka."

The girl certainly knew how to hit him where it hurt. He looked her in the eye. "I was busy leading a war effort to protect my country and its inhabitants. I have done everything in my power to bring this war to an end, and that is exactly why I must now defeat you. You are blinded by your own arrogance, and that will be your downfall."

"I could say the same to you."

"Yes, but the difference between us is that my confidence is warranted, as I shall now demonstrate. I'll begin by discarding Destiny Hero Malicious in order to special summon Dark Grepher from my hand." Dark Grepher was a level four monster with 1700 attack points –no match against Kira's army- but it would not be alone for long. Discarding Malicious would work to his advantage, because Malicious's special ability allowed him to remove it from play in order to special summon another one from his deck. "I now remove from play my discarded Malicious in order to summon another to my side of the field. Then I'll use the spell card Emergency Teleport, which lets me summon one psychic-type monster from my deck for one turn. I select Mind Master, a tuner monster. Now I'll tune my level one Mind Master with my level six Destiny Hero Malicious in order to Syncrho Summon the level seven Dark Strike Fighter." The robotic knight took its place next to Dark Grepher. With 2600 points, it was more than a match for any of Kira's monsters, but Jimu was only getting started. The two monsters he had combined for the synchro summon were now in his graveyard, and one of them was his second Malicious. But he wouldn't need to use its effect quite yet.

"Next I'll summon the level two tuner Plaguespreader Zombie from my hand, and combine it with Dark Grepher to Synchro Summon the level six Goyo Guardian. And now I'll remove another Malicious from my grave in order to summon the third one from my deck. As I'm sure you're aware, Plaguespreader Zombie also has a special ability that activates in the graveyard. By returning one card from my hand to the top of my deck," He selected a spell card that he wouldn't need until next turn anyway, "I can return Plaguespreader Zombie to the field and use it for another synchro summon. By tuning it with my last Destiny Hero Malicious, I bring forth the level eight Colossal Fighter."

Out of all that mess, he had brought forth three mighty sychro monsters to match Kira's five weaker ones. Goyo Guardian and Colossal Fighter each had 2800 attack points, while Dark Strike Fighter sat just 200 points below them. The Prince still had one card remaining in his hand, and it was one of the most powerful in his deck, but, fearing Kira's face-down card, he didn't want to overextend himself this early on in the duel.

"Now, my monsters, destroy her two Wulfs and her Jain." The holograms in the field charged forward and Kira's pitiful army was quickly reduced to just two Luminas, who had only 1000 attack points a piece, and would be easy to destroy next turn. "Lastly, because your Jain was destroyed by my Goyo Guardian, my monster's special ability activates, summoning yours to my side of the field in defense mode. I end my turn."

Kira watched the entire proceedings with an eerie calmness. Her opening move had been extraordinary, but his had put it to shame.

_You have done excellently, my Prince. Soon we will crush this child and move forward with our plans for world conquest._

The Prince ignored Obsidiusk's praise. He knew better than to assume an early advantage meant an assured win. Ninety-nine perfect of duelists wouldn't have stood a chance against his three mighty monsters, but Kira was a champion, and Jimu was almost certain that she had plenty more tricks up her sleeves.

"It's your turn now, Kira," he said. "Make it count."

She waved a finger at him condescendingly. "Ah, ah, ah. Not so face, Your Majesty." It was a minor semantical error –only the king was to be addressed as "Your Magesty"- and Jimu knew she had done it on purpose. "Don't forget that Jain is on your side of the field, which means you have to send two cards from the top of your deck to your graveyard."

"So be it." Jimu realized his mistake at once: he had laid a potentially useful spell card on top of his deck due to Plaguespreader Zombie's ability, knowing that he would merely draw it again next turn. But now, due to Jain's effect, this spell was sent to the grave, along with the monster beneath it, Necro Gardna.

And yet, this might turn out to be a positive after all. Necro Gardna, like many of his monsters, had an effect that became useful only once it was in the graveyard, and whatever the new card was the he would draw next turn might turn out to be even more useful than the spell he had lost. He made a mental note to analyze this strategy after the duel was over; perhaps there was something to be said for the forces of light and darkness working together. After all, he, a hero to his people, had befriended an evil dragon deity in order to serve the greater good. Perhaps he should create a deck to reflect this unholy alliance.

But all bad things in time. Now it was Kira's turn, and she looked more ready than ever.

"Let's see… I'll tribute one of my Luminas in order to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel to the field. This activates her ability, which lets me send four cards from my deck to my graveyard in order to destroy any two cards on the field. I select your Goyo Guardian and Colossal Fighter."

Jimu was disappointed to see his monsters so easily destroyed, but not surprised, nor worried. His Dark Strike Fighter still had 400 more attack points than her Celestia.

"Now I'll reveal my face-down card, Glorious Illusion. This card allows me to special summon any lightsworn monster from my graveyard. You may have noticed that one of the eight cards sent there at the end of my last turn was Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, one of my personal favorite cards."

Jimu had seen Gragonith played many times before, and he could understand why she liked it so much. In many ways it was similar to Ambriliant, her ultimate card. But whereas Ambriliant would gain 300 attack and defense for every Light-attribute monster in her graveyard, Gragonith gained 300 points for every Lightsworn monster of a different name, bringing its current total to a whopping 3500. Now Jimu was beginning to get a bit apprehensive.

"Now, Gragnoith, my Lightsworn Dragon, attack and destroy his Dark Strike Fighter. Celestia, return Jain to my graveyard, where it belongs, and Lumina, attack his life points directly. Now I end my turn, and the effects of my monsters send six more cards to my grave."

Jimu's life point counter dropped to 6100, but that did not concern him. He was still in the lead by 500 points, and any good duelist knew that life points were an expendable resource. No, what worried him was that he now had no cards on his field and only one in his hand. His next draw would have to be a good one.

As it turned out, it was exactly the card he needed. He took a moment to count the number of Dark-attribute monsters in his graveyard.

"You have fought well thus far, Kira. But you've not defeated me yet. I summon Prometheus, King of the Shadows. His effect allows him to gain 400 attack points for each Dark monster I remove from my graveyard, and I choose to remove Dark Grepher and Destiny Hero Malicious, raising his attack to 2000. But more importantly, I have now have exactly three Dark monsters in my graveyard, allowing me to special summon the last card in my hand, the centerpiece of my deck, Dark Armed Dragon!"

Kira bit her lip but still didn't appear all that worried. "I was wondering how long until you played that card. I hate to say it, but your strategy was painfully obvious from the very beginning."

"Obvious, perhaps, but nearly unstoppable nonetheless. Because Dark Armed Dragon also allows me to remove Dark monsters from my graveyard, and for each one I remove, I can destroy one card on the field. So I'll remove Colossal Warrior and Dark Strike Fighter from my graveyard to get rid of your Celestia and Gragonith, leaving your poor Lumina all alone."

This left only one Dark monster in his graveyard, Necro Gardna, and Jimu decided to keep it there for the time being. Its ability would provide an extra layer of defense if his strategy backfired, and it could always be used later on to power up Dark Armed Dragon or Osidiusk if he ever got a chance to summon it.

"Now, I'll use Dark Armed Dragon and Prometheus, King of the Shadows, to destroy your last monster and attack your life points directly."

_Magnficient, my Lord! Her life points are down to a measly 1800. The duel is practically ours._

This time, Jimu was tempted to agree with Obdisiusk. Kira had only one card left in her hand, and at this point it seemed unlikely that she could make a comeback.

Then she drew another card, straightened her shoulders, and Jimu knew she wasn't out of this yet.

"Thank you, Jimu. You have played right into my hand, using up all of your powerful cards and sending my Lightsworn monsters to the graveyard, just like I wanted you too. Because now I'm able to summon from my hand another one of my favorite monsters, the lord of all lightsworn beasts. Allow me to introduce you to Judgment Dragon."

What she said was true: not only was Judgment Dragon the key monster in any lightsworn deck, it was also one of the most destructive monsters in the entire game. It possessed a very impressive 3000 attack, along with a special ability that made it nearly unstoppable.

"At the cost of 1000 life points, I activate Judgment Dragon's special ability, destroying every other card on the field. This leaves you open to a direct attack, which, assuming I did my math correctly, and I always do, means you now have 3100 life points. Judgment Dragon also forces me to discard four more cards from my deck. Now go."

Still reeling from the turnaround, Jimu placed all his hopes in his next card. The good news was that, with only 800 life points left, Kira wouldn't be able to activate Judgment Dragon's ability again.

"I lay one monster face-down on the field," he said, "And end my turn."

Kira drew. "I attack your monster with Judgment Dragon."

She had fallen right into Jimu's trap. "I reveal Monster Jar, which forces both of us to discard our hands and draw five entirely new cards. We're essentially back to square one, except I have more life points."

"And I have Judgment Dragon on the field," Kira said as she drew five more cards. Jimu noticed now that her deck was growing very thin; most of her cards were in her graveyard. A player was allowed to have anywhere between 40 and 60 cards in their deck, and it appeared that, in an unusual move for such a competent duelist, Kira's deck was closer to the upper limit. However, this might've been a smart move considering the self-milling power of her deck; at this point, it looked like she only had eight or nine cards left. If Jimu could hold out for just a few more turns, Kira would run out of cards and lose the duel by default.

"I'll end my turn by setting one monster face-down on the field."

Jimu drew a sixth card and studied his new hand, pleased to see that he had drawn just the card he'd been looking for. But first, he had a few preparations to make. "I play the spell card The Shallow Grave. This allows each of us to select one monster in our graveyard and summon them to the field. I select Prometheus, King of the Shadows."

"And I select Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon"

"Good. I activate another Emergency Teleport card, this time summoning Krebons from my deck. And I'll normal summon a Necro Gardna. Now I sacrifice these three Dark monsters to bring forth Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon!"

_At last, freed again!_

And once more Obsidiusk appeared over the battlefield, so much more than a hologram, menacing and imposing, a monster more powerful than any card in Kira's deck save one, and the chances of her summoning it this late in the duel seemed highly unlikely.

"Now, go forth Obsidiusk, and-"

"Stop," Kira stated in a voice so level Jimu actually hesitated. "You don't wish to do this. You have made a pact with the most evil creature on this earth, but it is not too late to turn back from this path. Call off your monster, and allow my army of light to destroy him. Redemption is not beyond your grasp."

_Do not heed her foolishness, my Prince. You must use my power to win us this duel. Our destinies depend on it. I assure you, place your trust in me and I shall not fail you._

And Jimu did trust Obsidiusk, in part because it was his only choice. He had to win this duel at all costs, so that he could bring an end to the war and save the lives of his people. This destiny had been stolen from him once before; he would not allow it to happen again.

"Go on, Obsidiusk. Complete your attack."

And as the great black dragon lunged at Kira's monster, she revealed one card in her hand. "You should've heeded my advice, your majesty… Honestly."

Honest. It was a stable of every competitive lightsworn deck and it had completely slipped Jimu's mind. Honest's effect added Obsidiusk's attack to Judgement Dragon's, meaning that the latter monster was far more powerful than even the Black Crystal Dragon, and was now able to inflict 3000 damage to Jimu's life points.

For a split moment, Jimu was certain he had lost the duel, but his life point counter stopped with just one hundred points left. Obsidiusk was gone, defeated, leaving him without a single monster to defend himself. His only chance was to bluff, though he knew in his heart that it would be useless. Kira had given him a chance to call off his attack and he had stupidly refused. But it was too late now. Obsidiusk had failed him, and Kira would soon become the dragon's new owner. It was a shame too; at this point, Kira only had three or four cards left in her deck. If Jimu could survive this upcoming turn, he would win. But at this point, there was very little he could do.

"I lay one card face-down. Now go on, Kira. Finish this. Put me out of my misery."

"Gladly."

Jimu was shocked by the ferocity of her tone. Where once there had stood a bright, beautiful young women, there now stood a being of immense determination and hatred. She had hidden behind a flawless façade throughout most of the duel, but at last Jimu could see Kira's emotions fully revealed. Her lip trembling, sweat running down her check, her tangled blond hair matted around her head like a golden halo, Kira drew another card and began her turn.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and stated calmly, "This is for my father. May his murder at last be avenged. I summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior. As I have demonstrated, I have many monsters in my deck that I call my favorite, but only one is truly deserving of that title. Only one was entrusted to me by my father, who you took from me when I was just six years old. As he sacrificed his life for the good of this country, so do I sacrifice Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, and Judgment Dragon to bring forth Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon."

And when the monster appeared, its scales glittered as if containing a thousand suns, radiating brilliant gold light throughout the arena, briefly blinding all those present. Kira had destroyed Obsidiusk, the most powerful Dark monster in existence, and now she had summoned the most powerful Light monster to finish him off.

And as Prince Jimu looked up at the overwhelming power of Ambriliant, he recalled his dual with Takuni and understood the full consequences of his actions. This was not merely a hologram he was facing- it was a living, breathing god bent on his destruction. He was not only about to lose the duel; he was about to lose his life.

_Yet again, you forget about your face-down card. Activate it now._

Jimu was startled by Obdisiusk's advice, though he realized it would take much more than one loss to destroy the spirit residing within the card. He didn't understand what good it would do, but he had followed the darkness this far, and at this point, he truly had nothing left to lose.

"I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror. This negates the special abilities of all Light monsters on the field, even Ambriliant." Unfortunately, Ambriliant still had 3000 attack points, and there was nothing Jimu could do to stop it from attacking.

_Or is there?_

Of course! Jimu had been so disoriented by Obsidiusk's defeat that he had completely forgotten about the two Necro Gardna's in his graveyard. By removing them from play, he could negate any one of his opponent's attacks.

But as quickly as this hope had grown, so did it recede. Only now did Jimu comprehend the brilliance of Kira's plan: the entire duel, she had been one step ahead of him, and this time was no different. She must've seen the two Necro Gardnas in his grave and, knowing that she couldn't afford to mill any more cards from her deck, she had sacrificed all her lightsworn monsters to summon Ambriliant, keeping her remaining deck cards safe. He would have to last at least three more turns to win the duel by default, and facing Ambriliant with not a single monster on the field or in his hand, that seemed quite impossible.

"Well," said Kira, "Now that you've activated your Light-Imprisoning Mirror, I might as well flip over my last monster, Lyla, Lightsworn sorceress. Normally, her effect would cause me to send three cards from my deck to my graveyard, and since I only have three cards left, that would cost me the duel. But since your mirror prevents all the effects of Light monsters, even the negative ones, I have nothing to worry about. I'll also equip the spell card Lightsworn Sabre to Lyla, brining her attack points to 2400. Now, together, Ambriliant and Lyla will attack your life points directly."

"No they won't. I remove both Necro Gardnas from my graveyard to negate both of my attacks."

"So be it. You're merely prolonging the inevitable. Draw your last card and struggle as you might."

Jimu drew Armageddon Knight, and added it to the Brain Control spell card already in his hand. Unfortunately, the spell would cost him 800 life points to use, and he only had 100 left, making it utterly useless.

Or perhaps not… If he summoned Armageddon Knight, its effect would allow him to send a Dark monster directly from his deck to his graveyard. He could send another Plaguespreader Zombie, then use its effect to special summon it to the field by returning Brain Control to the top of his deck. Then he could synchro summon his two monsters to form a level six… a level six what? Goyo Guardian wouldn't do him any good. He could destroy Lyla, but Kira would still have 400 life points left, and Ambriliant would destroy Goyo Guardian next turn, winning her the duel. The only alternative was synchro summoning Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, but without an extra card in his hand, her effect would be useless.

_Do not despair yet, my Prince. Place your faith in the darkness, and the darkness will not fail you. There is one other monster you might summon._

It took Jimu a moment to remember what it was. He couldn't even recall ever having used it in a duel before, because its effect rarely came in handy, but this time…

His heart skipped a beat. It just might work. He ran over the scenario in his head a dozen times to ensure its validity. If something went wrong, if he had made some fatal flaw in his calculations, he would lose his life. But if he won… then not only would he keep Obsidiusk, but Ambriliant would be his as well. Taking the easy way out was no longer an option; Jimu decided he would either emerge from the dual with two Crystal Dragons in his possession, or not at all.

"I summon Armageddon Knight and use its effect to send Plaguespreader Zombie to my graveyard. Then I return one card to my deck to special summon Plaguespreader Zombie to my side of the field. I then tune my two monsters to syncrho summon Iron Chain Dragon."

Iron Chain dragon had just 2500 attack points, enough to destroy Lyla, but not to inflict enough life points to win the dual. But Jimu wasn't targeting Kira's life points.

"Now, Iron Chain Dragon, destroy Lyla!" The dragon lunged and Kira's life point counter went down to 700.

"Are you finished?" Kira asked, unamused by his resistance. She had yet to realize what he had just accomplished.

"No, but you are. Because by destroying one of your monsters, Iron Chain Dragon's special ability activates, sending the last three cards from your deck to your grave. Now I end my turn."

And, finally, Kira's face sunk as she realized that she was defeated. Now that her turn had officially begun, she was required to draw a card from her deck, and since there were none remaining, according to the international rulebook, she automatically lost the dual.

With a cry and an explosion of golden light, Ambriliant was gone, and all of the holograms with it. Kira grabbed on to the railing of her podium to steady herself, while Prince Jimu felt more invigorated than ever. He had faced death and won; surely this meant that it was his destiny to move forward and save his country.

"I am sorry, Kira. I know that duel was hard on you. But now I must ask you to uphold your end of the bargain. If you don't, your-"

"I will. Unlike you, Jimu, I am a woman of my word. Even in defeat, I shall not abandon the light. You wish to know where the other Crystal Dragon cards are? I will tell you in all honesty that I don't know. Diamair was in my brother's possession the last I saw. The other three we sold years ago to a diplomat from New Asuka."

Jimu was outraged. "You sold three of the most powerful cards in existence to the _enemy_? Traitor!"

Now Kira regained a bit of her strength. "You, of all people, have the never to call _me_ a traitor? We didn't know who we were dealing with at the time, and we sold the cards to pay for our mother's surgery, which we wouldn't have needed to do if you hadn't murdered our father. This is your fault, Jimu. Don't push your guilt onto us."

_We have no time to argue with this child. Her card is now yours and you have the information you need. What is our next move?_

Jimu stopped to think. Akira had sold the cards to someone from New Asuka, and one of those cards had ended up in the possession of the New Asukan champion. Jimu remembered his dual with Takuni, and at last everything clicked into place.

Takuni had used quite a few dinosaur monsters against him, and there was only one other champion-level duelist Jimu knew who used dinosaurs. It was the man who had first taught him to duel, and the only living person in all of Asuka who had ever defeated him: his uncle Daichi, the king of New Asuka, and no doubt the man who had given Takuni his Saphrine card. That meant that, in all likelihood, the last two crystal dragons were in Daichi's possession.

"Captain Minami," he called. His chief of security was at his side almost instantly.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"I need you to ready my helicopter and sent a message to my uncle. I'm sure he's expecting one by now."

"What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him that I'll be there by nightfall. Tell him to prepare himself for the most important duel of his lifetime."


	6. Huge Revolution

Chapter Five: Huge Revolution

The sun was low in the sky when the cruiser came into view on the horizon. Yoshi turned off the boat's autopilot and started turning away from it. He was in New Asukan territory by now, and knew they wouldn't react kindly to his intrusion.

_No need to worry about them. You are now under the protection of both myself and Saphrine; they cannot harm you here, where you are surrounded by water and wind. In fact, they might prove useful in our quest._

"So you want me to go towards them?" Now that he was essentially alone, Yoshi didn't mind addressing Diamair by talking aloud.

_I think that would be wise. _

"If you say so." Yoshi brought them back on course to intercept the larger ship and pushed down on the gas full throttle. Within a few minutes, the cruiser was looming before them, and now Yoshi could see the words "Coast Guard" clearly imprinted upon its side.

"Attention incoming vessel," came an electronically amplified voice. "You are entering the sovereign territory of King Daichi of New Asuka. Power down your vehicle immediately and prepare to be boarded."

Yoshi complied with the instructions and tried to steady his hands as two uniformed men threw a rope ladder over the side of the cruiser and climbed down into his small motorboat. Two others peered over the railing above, but it was too dark to see whether or not they were armed.

"Who are you and what is your purpose?" said the first man down the ladder.

Not for the first time, Yoshi felt as if Diamair was speaking through him. "My name is Yoshi Hiroko, and I wish to speak with your leader. I come to seek his assistance and to offer my own."

"Offer your assistance how?"

"Surely you witnessed this morning's duel between Champion Takuni and Prince Jimu. I know what really happened during that duel, information that your king needs to hear if he is to stop Jimu from conquering New Asuka."

"We can take you to our commanding officer, and you may present your information to him." The first man gave a sideways nod to the second, who moved forward to search Yoshi. With a flash of thought, Diamair told him how to react.

"No." Yoshi took a step backward and pulled his new Saphrine card from his pocket, prompting both men to draw pistols and aim them at his chest.

"Hey! No sudden moves."

"Sorry, but you need to see this." Yoshi closed his eyes and asked Saphrine to activate her powers now.

_These men are not your enemies_, entered Saphrine's voice into his mind, similar to Diamair's but even softer and more soothing._ I will do nothing to harm them._

And Yoshi was not asking her to. He only wanted to show these men that his offer was legitimate by demonstrating her abilities.

_Listen to Yoshi, dear sister._ It was Diamair talking now._ Only with the help of King Daichi can we bring peace to these war-torn lands._

Yoshi felt a cold shiver run through his body and heard a wall of water rising above him. The color drained from the faces of the two men and they lowered their weapons.

"As I said before, there is much I might offer your King. Now take me to him before it is too late."

The eyes of both men were open in wide-eyed shock, one gazing at the rising column of water, the other staring at the Saphrine card in Yoshi's hands.

"That's the card Champion Takuni used in his duel. But how did it come to be in your possession?"

"It was taken by Prince Jimu after their duel. I then won it from one of his servants."

The first man seemed to have finally recovered from the shock of Saphrine's demonstration. "How do we know you aren't secretly working for Jimu?"

"Because Prince Jimu murdered my father thirteen years ago." Yoshi still didn't know if this was true, but now that the Prince had kidnapped Kira, Yoshi realized that his former hero was probably capable of murder. "Other than that, you have only my word."

They stared at him silently for a few moments. Then the second said, "You are very fortunate, boy. Because we recently receive orders that anyone bearing a card with 'Crystal Dragon' in its name is to be taken to the capital immediately, and your Saphrine qualifies."

_That is an extremely odd order, unless…_

Yoshi arrived at the exact same conclusion. King Daichi must've been in the possession of one of the remaining Crystal Dragon cards, if not both. Now, more than ever, they were going to need his help to defeat Jimu.

"That is very fortunate indeed. Now let us not waste any more time."

And so they did not. It took only a few hours for Yoshi to reach the capital city, traveling first by ship and then by a specially arranged plane. He was surrounded by security at all times during the short trip, though none dared to get within two feet of him, probably out of fear of the magic of his cards.

The plane took him straight into the royal palace, where he was then escorted to a private meeting chamber. A large wooden table dominated most of the room and standing at one end was a man who had to be King Daichi.

The New Asukan ruler looked nothing at all like his nephew. Whereas Jimu made most of his public appearances wearing black battle armor and a flowing cape to match, Daichi was wearing a very luxurious indigo and maroon robe, emblazoned with the royal crest. He was a plump man, but tall, with a long grey beard and eyes that conveyed a great deal of hidden wisdom.

"Greetings, child, and welcome to New Asuka." The King's voice was rough and quiet, as if his very words might be enough to split the earth beneath them. "I am told that you are the new owner of Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon."

"Yes. My name is Yoshi Hiroko, and I also carry Diamair, the White Crystal Dragon. I've come here to warn you that Prince Jimu's mind has been warped by the spirit of Obsidiusk, and I fear he will use his new powers to destroy your country."

"I could not agree more. Since you have revealed to me your second Crystal Dragon card without my asking, I shall return the favor. I have with me both Hematera, the Green Crystal Dragon, and Rubustion, the Red Crystal Dragon. That leaves only Ambriliant unaccounted for."

"My sister took it with her to defeat Prince Jimu."

"Then I fear your sister has failed, for I recently received a message from the Prince. He is on his way here even as we speak, intent on a duel with me. I can only assume the worst: he defeated your sister and now has two dragons in his possession, and now he aims to acquire the other four. We must prevent that, at all costs. Will you help me?"

_Be cautious when treating with this one,_ said Diamair. _Hematera is the goddess of stability, and as such she will wish to stop Jimu from conquering New Asuka, but Rubustion is the god of destruction. He wishes to destroy his enemies, and anyone else in his way, without regard to alternative. Daichi seems to still be in control, but if one of my siblings were to take over, we could be in great danger. Rubustion's limitless temerity is second only to the controlled fury of Obsidiusk himself._

Yoshi took her warning to heart. "I will help you as best I am able. What do you propose?"

"Prince Jimu has challenged me to a duel, and it is a challenge I must accept. The reigning champions of both Old and New Asuka have now fallen to him; if I cannot defeat Jimu in a duel, no one can. I was the one who taught him to play Duel Monsters and I have defeated no less than twenty-seven national champions during my years on this earth, most of whom I trained personally. Even so, my victory over my nephew will not come easily. I will need every powerful card I can muster, and I feel my chances of winning will be best with all four of our crystal dragons in my deck. I alone have the experience necessary to build a deck around these four virtually unstoppable monsters, and use it to overpower whatever Jimu brings against me."

"You expect me to just give you my two dragons? I am sorry, but I cannot do that. Perhaps we should duel him one at a time, so that he'll have to win two duels to obtain all six dragons."

"No. For once he defeated one of us, Jimu would have four Crystal Dragons and that would give him an unsurmountable advantage in the final duel. We must, quite literally, play all our cards at once. The duel between Jimu and myself will be publicly televised, so that every citizen of Asuka, both Old and New, can witness our match. The winner of this duel will also be the winner of the ancient war between our two countries."

_We cannot allow that to happen. If any mortal comes into control of all six dragons, their combined might will be too powerful to restrain. A fury will be unleashed upon the world unlike any that has been seen since ancient times. I want to change this world more than anyone, but not like this. We must find a way to prevent both Daichi and Jimu from attaining every Crystal Dragon card._

Yoshi had an idea. "You said that, even with four crystal dragons, you would be the only person capable of defeating Jimu in a duel. But what if that's not true?"

Daichi interlaced his fingers. "Explain."

"I imagine it will take some time for the Prince to fly here all the way from Old Asuka. That gives us just enough time to conduct a duel of our own. Naturally, the superior duelist will emerge the victor, and shall inherent the others' cards. Then, with all four of our dragons, one of us will face off against Jimu, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

_Excellent thinking, my child. If you can win these two duels, all six cards will be in our possession. And because you are loyal to neither side in this conflict, you will be able to use our powers without bias, to bring an end to this war through peace, not destruction of one side or the other._

Of course, the big catch was the Yoshi would have to defeat two of the most powerful duelists in history, one right after the other. It would be an enormous challenge, but with Diamair and Saphrine at his back, and with the fate of his sister and the entire world on the line, he knew he would be up to it.

"If this is the only way for me to acquire your two cards, then so be it. Follow me to the dueling arena. I say this with no offense intended, but defeating you should not take very long."

"We shall see."

The King led Yoshi higher and higher through the upper floors of the grand palace, until at last they emerged on the roof itself, situated a thousand feet above the capital of New Asuka. A dueling arena had already been readied and it seemed fitting that here, above the entire world, its fate would be decided.

Yoshi mounted one podium while Daichi mounted the other. Both raised up fifty feet as the duelists inserted their decks into the automatic shufflers and the holoprojectors hummed to life.

"May I go first?" Yoshi asked, remembering what his sister had told him.

"No. But you may call the flip." The King took out a coin from his pocket, threw it into the air, caught it in his left hand and slammed it down on the back of his right.

_Choose whichever you'd like. My siblings under his command are preventing Saphrine and I from influencing the outcome, just as we are preventing them from doing the same. This duel will be played with complete fairness._

Yoshi wouldn't have it any other way. "I call heads."

Daichi lifted his hand. "Tails, my move." He drew a card from his deck. "I'll just start by setting two cards face-down on the field. Your turn."

_That's an unusual move. Perhaps he got an unlucky starting hand._

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Yoshi looked at his starting hand. He had drawn Heart of the Underdog and five monsters, including Diamair. If he could summon her, the duel would be off to a great start.

"I activate the spell card Heart of the Underdog, then summon Gemini Elf in attack mode." The 1900 attack twin elves appeared on the field below.

_I would advise you against attacking quite yet, at least until you build up your defenses. Destroying a few of his lifepoints isn't worth risking your only monster._

Yoshi decided to go with Diamair's advice and ended his turn.

"Then I'll just set one card face-down. Your turn again."

Yoshi drew Dark Bribe, a countertrap card that allowed him to negate one of Daichi's spells or traps. But since Dark Bribe was a trap card itself, he couldn't activate it the same turn he set it on the field.

"I'll set a card as well, and then summon Giant Soldier of Stone to the field. I end my turn without attacking."

"Hm… afraid of my trap cards? You're smart, kid. But not smart enough. This turn, I think I'll just set one monster face-down."

"About time." Yoshi drew Huge Revolution, a card which had never, ever worked for him before. He set it on the field anyway, hoping Daichi might assume it to be a more powerful trap. "I summon Thunder Kid, and now I'll attack your face-down monster with Gemini Elf."

"And in response, I activate my Magic Cylinder trap. This card used to be quite popular back in my day. The attack of your Gemini elf is now directed away from my monster and back towards your life points."

"It would be, if I didn't have," Yoshi flipped over one of his traps, "Dark Bribe. This negates the effect of your Magic Cylinders."

Daichi didn't seem to mind. "So it does. But it also allows me to draw one more card." Daichi did so, while Gemini Elf finally finished its attack. "Very good. You've just destroyed my Magical Merchant, activating his special ability. I now pick up cards from my deck until I get a trap or spell card, then I send the other cards to my graveyard." He drew the first card and showed it to Yoshi before discarding it: Jurak Monolov, a Fire-attribute dinosaur that Yoshi didn't recognize. Then Daichi drew the spell card Jurassic World and added it to his hand.

_He seems to be using a dinosaur-themed deck. I would not have expected this._

Yoshi couldn't agree more. Dinosaur monsters had some of the highest attack points in the game, and Yoshi had used quite a few of them before, but due to their weak effects, they were rarely used by competitive duelists.

"It's still my turn," Yoshi said. "Now I attack you directly with Giant Solider of Stone and Thunder Kid, reducing your lifepoints to 6000. Your move."

"I'll start by summoning Destroyersaurus." The small, skinny dinosaur appeared on the field below. It only had 1800 attack points, but Yoshi knew what his opponent had planned. "Then I activate a field spell card. Yoshi, may I be the first to welcome you to Jurassic World!"

As he placed the card on the field, the landscape around the monsters changed, encapsulating them in a world of palm trees, sheer cliffs, and smoking volcanoes. This was a card Yoshi knew well, because he had once used a dinosaur deck as a kid: it increased the power of all dinasuar-type monsters by 300 points, raising Destroyersaurus' attack to 2100.

"Now Destroyersaurus, attack his Gemeni Elf." The beast charged forward with its razor sharp head, shattering Yoshi's monster. At last, things were beginning to get interesting.

Yoshi drew Sabersaurus, a dinosaur-monster he had retained in his current deck. "I'll reveal the monster I just drew to activate Heart of the Underdog's effect, allowing me to draw another card." Now he drew Advanced Ritual Art, which could allow him to summon any ritual monster from his hand to the field. In other words, for now, it was completely useless.

"I summon Sabersaurus to the field. He, too, gets a power bonus from Jurassic World, making him even stronger than your Destroyersaurus. Now I'll use my newly summoned monster to destroy the only monseter you have, and I'll attack your life points again with Thunder Kid and Giant Soldier of Stone."

Daichi had now lost more than half of his lifepoints. "I summon Jurak Vello and use him to destroy your Giant Solider of Stone. That's all for now."

_Something's very wrong here. For one of the greatest duelists in the world, he's not playing all that well._

Yoshi hoped that Daichi was merely going easy on him, though that seemed unlikely. But whatever Daichi was up to, he wouldn't be up to it for long. Even with Jurassic World's bonus, Jurak Vello was still weaker than Sabersaurus. Yoshi drew Mystical Space Typhoon. "Alright Sabersaurus, take care of his Jurak Vello."

Daichi's lifepoints fell by 200 more. "Not bad, although now that you've destroyed Jurak Vello, I'm allowed to summon another weaker Jurak monster from my deck. I select Jurak Protopus, who is too powerful for your Thunder Kid to destroy."

That was a little more like it, but still… it felt like Daichi was merely stalling for time. But what was he waiting for?

"Before ending my turn, I'm using Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away your Jurassic World, and then I'll set one more monster on the field." Now, with three monsters on the field, Yoshi's life points would be safe for the time being.

Daichi drew. "I summon Jurak Monolov to the field, a level three tuner monster. Now, by combining his power with that of my Jurak Protopus, I synchro summon Jurak Giganot. Due to his effect, Jurak Giganot gains 200 attack points for each Jurak monster in my graveyard, and I have four. Now my monster shall destroy your Sabersaurus."

Yoshi's monster was no match for Giganot's 2900 attack points. Still, Yoshi had 6100 life points left; he just had to find a way to get rid of Daichi's fiery dinosaur.

He drew the monster United Resistance and showed it to Daichi, allowing him to draw another card, DNA Transplant. This trap card allowed him to change the attribute of all face-up monsters on the field. If he used it to change all monsters into Wind monsters, he would soon be able to summon Diamair. But until next turn, he had no way of getting rid of Daichi's Jurak Giganot.

"I'll set another monster and switch Thunder Kid to defense mode. Do your worst."

"Not to worry, Yoshi, I will. I summon Babycerasaurus and then tribute it to activate the spell card Big Evolution Pill. For three more turns, this allows me to summon dinasuar monsters without tributes. But of course, since I've already summoned one monster this turn, I'll have to wait until next turn to use it. Until then, I'll destroy one of your set monsters with Jurak Giganot."

Yoshi's Charcoal Inpachi was sent to the graveyard, leaving him with only two monsters on the field. He would just have to draw one in order to summon Diamair.

Yoshi's hand trembled as he picked up the top card from his deck. It was a monster card: Great Angus!

_Don't forget to activate Heart of the Underdog. The duel isn't won just yet._

Of course. Yoshi revealed Great Angus to Daichi and drew another monster, Mad Lobster. He repeated the process, this time obtaining Sword of the Soul-Eater. "I summon Great Angus. Then I'll activate my-"

_Not yet. Look at your hand again. You don't need my help to destroy Jurak Giganot._

It was true; the spell card Yoshi had just drawn was a second possibility. But he worried that if he didn't summon Diamair now, he might not get another chance.

_We must bide our time. Daichi has so far played this game with extreme caution; summoning me too soon might prompt him to redouble his efforts. You would do better to wait until he has revealed his strategy, relying on me as a measure of last resort. Besides, I want to see how you fair against the King without using my power._

Yoshi disagreed with Diamair's advice, but he would not go against it. "Alright, I flip over my United Resistance monster card, and equip it with Sword of the Soul-Eater. Now, by sacrificing my other two monsters, I increase United Resistance's attack by 2000 points, for a grand total of 3000. Now, United Resistance, attack!"

The holographic mob rushed forward, bringing their pitchforks and tortches against Daichi's Giganot and inflicting 100 damage to his life points. "Let's see what you can do against a monster this strong."

"Let's see," Dachi echoed, conducting his draw phase. "I summon the level nine Jurak Titan, which I can do thanks to my Big Evolutionary Pill spell card. Jurak Titan has an attack of 3000 attack points, equal to that of your pitiful Resistance, but I'm not finished yet. By removing from play one Jurak monster in my graveyard, I can temporarily increase my Titan's attack to an overwhelming 4000. Consider your monster finished."

Like something out of an old horror movie, the mob about-faced and ran as the enormous dinosaur trampled them down. As his life points dropped to 5100, Yoshi wished he had gone ahead and summoned Diamair.

_You have only two Wind-attribute monsters in your graveyard, meaning that even I would not have been powerful enough to survive an attack from his Jurak Titan, not yet. My advice was sound._

She was right. Yoshi just had to remain calm. There were still plenty of ways to turn this duel in his favor.

He drew Nightmare Steelcage. At least this would buy him some time. "I summon Mad Lobster and then activate the spell Nightmare Steelcage, preventing any monster from attacking for two turns."

"So be it. I'll activate the effect of Big Evolution Pill a second time, this time summoning my mighty Jurak Tyrannus. That is all."

Yoshi drew his Cyber-Tech Alligator and hoped that was a sign of good things to come. At least Cyber-Tech Alligator had the same attack as Jurak Tyrannus, even though it was still no match for Jurak Titan. "I drew Cyber-Tech Alligator, so I'll use Heart of the Underdog to draw again." He received Gift of the Martyr, which could come in useful once his Nightmare Steelcage wore off. "I'll tribute Mad Lobster to summon Cyber-Tech Alligator. Your turn."

"This is the final turn I can use Big Evolutionary Pill, so I might as well make good use of it. Meet Jurak Spinos. No need to fear him though; he won't be around for now. Because now I sacrifice Jurak Titan, Tyrannus, and Spinos to special summon Rubustion, the Red Crystal Dragon!"

Like a pillar of flame, the mighty dragon arrived on the field, a hovering mass of bright red scales with wings and eyes made a charred glass. Sacrificing three powerful monsters to summon just one was normally a very bad move, but if that monster was Rubustion, it was well worth it. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been sending Fire monsters to my graveyard all game. Rubustion gains 300 attack for each of them, giving him a total of 5100 attack points. I still can't attack this turn due to your Nightmare Steelcage, but that won't last much longer."

Daichi was right. Nightmare Steelcage's time limit was up and now there was nothing standing between the two players, save for Yoshi's Cyber-Tech Alligator and Daichi's great dragon.

Yoshi drew. "This is Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. I draw again." It was Cu Chulainn the Awakened, a card Kira had given him for his fourteenth birthday, and just the card he needed to defeat Rubustion. He had placed all his faith in his cards, and they had come through. Now it was his turn to use them well.

"I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Now I activate the ritual spell Advanced Ritual Art. By sending Acrobat Monkey and Oppressed People from my deck to my graveyard, I can summon Cu Chulainn the Awakened from my hand."

Now Yoshi had three monsters on the field: his Cyber-Tech Alligator with 2500 attack points, Winged Dragon with 1400, and Cu Chulainn, with just 500. Luckily, she had a very powerful special ability. But there was one other thing he had to do first. "I'm activating my Gift of the Martyr spell card. By sacrificing my Cyber-Tech Alligator, I can add its attack points to Cu Chulainn, bring its total to 3000. Now I activate her special ability, removing one normal monster from my graveyard so that I can add its attack power to hers. And I choose to remove the Cyber-Tech Alligator I just sent there. That makes her attack power an unprecedented 5500, enough to destroy even Rubustion. Now, Cu Chulainn the Awakened, attack!"

Daichi was, as always, unfazed. "Wait. Or did you forget about the two cards I set face-down at the start of this duel? I'm actually rather disappointed, Yoshi; I thought you would force me to use them long before now. I prepared this deck to defeat duelists who relied too heavily on effect monsters, which seems like pretty much every duelist these days. Your use of normal monsters took me off guard."

"Where are you going with this, King?"

"My point is that the trap I laid isn't totally useless after all. I activate Skill Drain, which negates the effects of all monsters on the field at the cost of 1000 of my life points. That means your Cu Chulainn loses the attack boost it just gained."

"True enough, but she still has 3000 attack thanks to Gift of the Martyr. And because of Skill Drain, Rubustion also has 3000 attack points, which means both monsters are destroyed, leaving my Winged Dragon free to attack your life points directly."

"A very accurate assessment of the situation. But I still have 1200 life points left, so unless you have anything else to do…"

The only card left in Yoshi's hand was Diamair. "No. It's your turn."

"Excellent. In that case, I'll special summon my Gilasaurus from my hand. This allows you to summon one monster from your graveyard."

"Alright, I choose United Resistance in defense mode."

"Perfect. Because special summoning a monster to your side of the field sets off my other trap card, Hunting Instinct, which lets me summon a dinosaur-type monster from my hand. I choose Sauropod Brachion. Finally, I'll summon Black Stego, and sacrifice all three to summon my second crystal dragon, Hematera!"

Like a fierce, exaggerated incarnation of Mother Nature, Hematera appeared on the battlefield, her scales the color of leaves in the morning sun, her claws and horns as dark as the earth's mantle.

But, strangely enough, Yoshi was not afraid. "Not so fast. I activate the trap card DNA Transplant, which lets me change all monsters on the field to any attribute of my choosing, and I select Wind. Because your three monsters are no longer Earth-type, you can't summon Hematera."

"Incorrect. You've activated your trap card too late; I've already summoned her, as you can clearly see."

Yoshi couldn't believe his opponent had made such an amateurish mistake. "Sorry, Daichi, but you're mistaken this time. By activating my trap card, I've started what expert duelists call a chain. And in a chain of cards, the effect of the last card activated is the first to be resolved. In other words, my DNA Transplant works _before_ you summon Hematera."

Upon hearing this, Daichi actually chuckled. "No, Yoshi. I have been a dueling champion since before you parents were born and I have taught the best duelists in the world everything they know. I've memorized every rulebook ever written, so I assure you, I know what I'm talking about. You are correct about chains, however you should also know that chains only begin when a card _effect_ is activated. While you may start a chain in reaction to an attack or a summoning, the summoning of my Hematera is not itself part of that chain. Her summoning already happened before your trap took effect. Ergo, my dragon remains in play."

Apparently the dueling computer agreed with Yoshi, because the holograms of his three tribute monsters didn't appear, nor did Hematera disappear. Well, at least it had been worth a shot.

_Daichi may know everything there is to know about Duel Monsters, but you have one thing he does not: heart. Trust in your deck, Yoshi. It has not yet failed you._

"Now, Hematera, destroy his Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. It's your turn, Yoshi, probably your last."

"Then I'd better use it well." He drew the monster People Running About and showed it to Daichi. "I draw another card with Heart of the Underdog's effect." It was Silent Doom, which allowed him to summon one monster from his graveyard, but that monster couldn't attack, making it useless.

_No card is useless, Yoshi. You of all people should know that. Look again._

And he did look again, at every card in his graveyard, in his hand, on the field, but nothing made itself clear. He needed some kind of hint.

_I already gave you a hint. I want you to do the rest._

Yoshi thought about what she had said. No card was useless. Well, his face-down Huge Revolution was living proof against that…

Yoshi couldn't help but laugh as he realized what he had to do. "Alright, King Daichi. Prepare for the most impressive defeat of your lifetime."

Daichi smiled kindly, as if amused by his courage but not impressed. He waved a wrinkled hand. "Go ahead."

"I summon People Running About to the field. Now I activate Silent Doom, reviving the Oppressed People card I sent to my graveyard a few turns back. And, thanks to your last move, I already have United Resistance on the field. Tell me Daichi, do you know what Oppressed People, People Running Around, and United Resistance come together to create?"

Daichi appeared to age ten years in that moment. His face fell, his hands gripped onto the podium railing and he sighed, "No."

Yoshi flipped over his face-down card. "A Huge Revolution!" Yoshi's three monsters charged forward, overpowering and destroying every card on Daichi's side of the field, even his traps. Normally, Hematera would be immune to Huge Revolution, but thanks to Daichi's own Skill Drain, its protective ability was negated.

"And that, King, leaves you wide open for a direct attack."

He nodded solemnly. "So it does. But even together, your two monsters can only deal 700 damage, which isn't enough to defeat me. And of course, because it was revived with Silent Doom, your United Resistance can't attack."

"No. But it can still be sacrificed. And thanks to my DNA Transplant, all three of my monsters are treated as Wind-types, allowing me to bring forth Diamair, the White Cyrstal Dragon!"

At last, his old friend materialized on the battlefield, more beautiful than all her siblings combined. Her crystalline scales were a white so pure that light itself seemed unable to touch her, a creature more radiant than any other in the world.

_You have done exceedingly well, my young friend. Now allow me to finish this._

"Be my guest. Diamair, reduce his life points to-"

_Stop!_ Saphrine's voice pounded into his mind. _You must know, Yoshi, that if you command my sister to attack she will not only destroy Daichi's life points, but his own life as well. No mortal can survive a direct attack by a Crystal Dragon._

Yoshi hesitated as he ran the scenarios through his mind. He could win this duel right now, moving him one step closer to defeating Prince Diachi and saving the world… but at what cost? Daichi may have been one of the men responsible for the war, but he had fought honorably and seemed a wise and courageous king. Yoshi would not kill him unless there was no other way, and as of yet, that was not the case. He had one hope left, one last idea to try.

"King Daichi, I have a proposition to make."

"I'm listening," his opponent growled.

"I could end this duel right now by attacking with my White Crystal Dragon, but doing so would put your life in great danger. I'm giving you a chance to save yourself by quitting the duel right now. If you don't, I'll have no choice but to attack you. That's my offer. Take it or leave it."

The King chewed on his lip for nearly a minute. "I am grateful for your kindness, Yoshi, which is why it pains me to say that I will have to take advantage of it. Understand that I am not fighting for myself, but for my country. In order to save New Asuka, in order to win this war, I must defeat Prince Jimu, and to do that, I must first defeat you."

"Your majesty, I beg you to reconsider. If you don't quit now-"

"You'll destroy me, I know. But for all your talk, I don't think you're actually going to go through with your threat. I have always been extremely good at reading people, and you don't strike me as someone willing to murder an old man to get what he wants."

Daichi was right. Yoshi had hoped that his bluff might lead to a win-win situation, but he knew the king wouldn't back down now. He was back to his original decision; there was no easy way out. He would just have to end his turn and hope that Daichi didn't draw something that would turn the duel in his favor.

_Child, listen to me. You are needlessly wagering billions of lives on the draw of a card. Is this a risk you really want to take? The world is on a course to complete annihilation, and if you wish to change that course, you must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices._

Perhaps. But for now, Yoshi he decided he would take his chances. After all, if, like Diamair claimed, it was his destiny to change the world, then he would win this duel, with or without her power.

_So be it. Your logic is sound, and though I do not agree with your decision, I will adhere to it nonetheless. Finish this duel in whichever way you believe is best._

Yoshi silently thanked his friend and told Daichi, "I end my turn without attacking."

Daichi took a deep breath and drew his final card. He smiled and hung his head. "I'm afraid your kindness paid off. I drew another Jurassic World, which will do nothing to save me, so I end my turn."

Now Yoshi drew. It was a normal monster, but there was no reason to activate Heart of the Underdog again at this stage in the duel. "I summon Luster Dragon to the field and use it to attack your life points directly. I win."

_Well done, child. In this instance, your gambit paid off. Let us hope for all our sakes that you will not have to make another._

Daichi's life point counter reflected Yoshi's statement. The King had stood tall and strong through the duel, but the effort seemed to have exhausted him, for he now collapsed upon the top of his podium as it began lowering to the ground.

Yoshi's own podium followed suit, and he ran immediately to the King's side. "Your majesty, are you alright?"

With the help of two aides, Daichi made it to his feet. "My reputation may never recover from that, but yes, I am alright. In fact, that was the most spectacular duel I've ever had, Yoshi. If I had to lose, I am glad it was to good old-fashioned monsters, and not to all the fancy tricks duelists tend to use to win these days. These are rightfully yours, and I want to include another as well."

He handed Yoshi three cards: Hematera, Rubustion, and his Magic Cylinders trap. "This is my oldest card, and one that I've included in every deck I've ever owned. It may not be up to standards with the more powerful cards around nowadays, but I like to think it still brings me a bit of luck when I need it."

Yoshi accepted the gift with a bow. "I'll put all three of these cards to good use, I promise."

King Daichi's head jerked and he raised an ear to the sky. "You may have to fulfill that promise sooner than you think. Do you hear that?"

Yoshi didn't need to hear it, he could see them quite clearly, the starlight reflecting off their glossy black surfaces: three military helicopters heading their way, all bearing the emblem of Prince Jimu.


	7. Allure of Darkness

Chapter Six: Allure of Darkness

In all his years, Prince Jimu had never witnessed a night so dark. From his perch on the edge of the lead helicopter, he could see only a vast expanse of starless blackness where the midnight sky should have been. But he had no time for sightseeing. It was only a matter of minutes until they arrived at the New Asukan capital, and the Prince intended to be ready.

The helicopter jittered with the inhales and exhales of the darkness, forcing Jimu to grip onto a metal support to keep himself steady. With his other hand, he flipped through the pages of one of the rare history books his men had confiscated from Professor Hiroka's office. It was all here, scrawled between the lines and in every available margin: everything the Professor had ever learned about the legend of the Crystal Dragons, including the spells he had devised to control their power. Jimu took special care to memorize as many of these as possible. He could feel Obsidiusk's dark ambitions growing with each passing moment, and once he had all the Crystal Dragons under his control, he would need every trick in his arsenal to keep them under his command. They said no mortal could contain such vast power, but Jimu was willing to meet the challenge head-on.

_You have nothing to fear, my Lord. I remain loyal to you alone, and with my help, we shall keep my brothers and sisters in line. Then, together, the rest of the world will tremble before our limitless might._

The Prince did not trust his new comrade, but he would need the dragon's help if he wanted to save the world. Had it not been for Obsidiusk, Jimu doubted he would've even been able to keep Ambriliant under control. The dragon of light had put up some resistance at first, but seemed now content to accept the combined rule of Jimu and Obsidiusk.

"Is your deck ready, your Highness?" Captain Minami yelled from the co-pilots seat.

"Of course." Jimu had finished his new deck before they had even left the palace. It was an entirely new strategy he was about to attempt, but with all his vast experience, he was confident he could pull it off.

"You don't have to do this, Jimu. Turn back before it's too late."

The Prince glanced to the rear of the chopper, where two guards were holding Akira captive. "But I do have to do this. Defeating my uncle will end the war between our countries, without so much as another bullet being fired."

"There's always a cost, Jimu. And this crusade has cost you your soul. You've made a deal with the devil."

_Foolish child. She does not understand that we are about to unite the world in peace, under your banner, my Prince._

"I've done what is necessary, no more and no less. Trust me, Akira, I know what I'm doing."

"You think you do. But-"

"Enough! Guards, gag her. I need to concentrate."

"Too late, your Highness," called Minami. "We've arrived."

Jimu looked up from his books in time to see his uncle's palace come into view. Carved into the mountainside, the building was a veritable fortress, an intricate ensemble of spires and buttresses. Atop the thick central tower, higher than all but the mountain itself, was a full-sided dueling arena. The risers were empty, but as the helicopter began its decent, Jimu spotted a handful of figures gathered to one side.

"Bring us down over there. Tell the other two choppers to remain airborne." Jimu was not worried about Daichi's military shooting them down. The power of Obsidiusk and Ambriliant would keep Jimu's men safe. All the armies and navies and air forces in the world were meaningless in comparison to the power of the Crystal Dragons, and the only way Jimu would end the war was by winning his uncle's in a duel.

The helicopter hadn't even touched down when Jimu leaped out onto the side of the battlefield, marching straight at the small crowd awaiting him. He recognized only two faces: his uncle, King Daichi of New Asuka, and a small boy who was the spitting image of Professor Hiroka.

"Welcome, Jimu. It has been too long." Daichi stepped forward, leaning on a wooden staff for support.

"Save your pleasantries, Uncle. We both know why I am here. I challenge you to the greatest duel in the history of the world, winner take all."

_No. The old man does have that which we seek._

Jimu was beyond shocked, but even that feeling was quickly overwhelming by his fury. Had he just flown across two countries for nothing?

_No, my siblings are here, all of them. But they are in the possession of… _Jimu could feel Obsiusk's attention focused on the Hiroka boy. _…him._

It was an interesting development, to be sure, but not an unwelcome one. His destiny was closer than he had believed; with all his enemies gathered in one place, he would only need to win a single duel to gain all the power he would ever need. "So, you are now the owner of the four dragons. Tell me, how did this come to be?"

The boy stared back with an intensity beyond his age. His eyes betrayed a great inner struggle, but it was more than fear that consumed him. Four Gods now resided within his body, a power that would've torn most people apart.

Daichi answered for him. "You will not believe this, Jimu, but Yoshi defeated me in an honorable duel. That makes the cards rightfully his."

The King was right; Jimu didn't believe it. His uncle was one of the best duelists in the world, more than a match for any child. The Prince suspected a trap.

_There can be no trap. As long as the boy has all four remaining dragons in his deck –and he does, for I can sense them- all you need to do is defeat him to make them yours. Challenge him to a duel._

"Very well, Uncle Daichi. If you wish to place to fate of your country in the hands of a child, I will not stop you. But I want this duel broadcast live throughout the entire kingdom. Both New and Old Asuka shall watch as their fates are decided."

"I accept your conditions," said Yoshi, at last stepping forward. His voice was faint, but unwavering. "But I do not fight on behalf of King Daichi. I fight for the sake of all people everywhere, in the hopes that by defeating you, I can free you from the clutches of evil, and restore balance to this world."

"You speak of matters beyond your understanding. Even if you were to defeat me, the power of the six Crystal Dragons would overwhelm you. That is why I must win. I alone have the willpower to keep the dragons in line, using their power as I see fit."

"Talk is cheap. Are you ready to Duel?"

Jimu smiled in spite of himself. "You've got spirit, kid. I like that. Very well, let our duel begin."

Jimu turned around just as Captain Minami and a half-dozen soldiers caught up, dragging Akira with them.

"Akira! Prince Jimu, wait!"

The Prince turned back toward Yoshi and raised an eyebrow.

"If I win this duel, I want your word that you'll let my sister go."

"The girl means nothing to me now. I only brought her along so that she could see how wrong she was." He looked at her captors. "Release her."

As Jimu headed toward the far dueling podium, he heard the siblings talking behind him.

"Kira, are you alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. You have a duel to win, and you're going to need to focus. You can do this, Yoshi. I have faith in you. Just remember everything I've taught you, and trust that your cards will not fail you."

Jimu almost felt sorry for the kid. It was cruel what his sister was doing, giving him hope when there was none. Perhaps Yoshi had managed to defeat Jimu's uncle, but Daichi was old and long past his prime; the Prince was young and ready for the duel of his life. It was his destiny to win.

He mounted the platform as it raised him up into the sky, higher than even the tallest of the spectator stands. From here, he could see the entire city sprawled out beneath them, and much of New Asuka beyond. Before long, this entire nation would be his, reunited with Old Asuka to form a renewed, unconquerable empire more powerful than any on the face of the earth. He would begin this duel as a Prince and end it as an Emperor.

Across the arena, the kid's podium lifted up to match his and both duelists readied their decks. Jimu steadied his heart. The fun was about to begin.

"If you don't mind, Yoshi, I'll get things started."

"Actually," Yoshi said, before Jimu could draw, "I do mind. We'll flip for it."

The Prince saw the two Hiroka siblings exchange a glance, but didn't know what to make of it. "So be it. Uncle Daichi, would you do the honors?"

Jimu knew that Obsidiusk would be able to prevent them from cheating… unless his power was no match for that of four of his siblings.

_Not to worry, my Lord. For I also have Ambriliant's power now, and I highly doubt my other siblings will ever be able to coordinator their powers toward a common goal. Even if they did, I would at least be able to sense their intervention._

The Prince was satisfied. On the site of the battlefield, Daichi took out some sort of coin and flipped it. "It's your call, Jimu."

"Tails."

"It's heads. Yoshi, the first turn is yours."

_Let the boy have his moment in the sun. It will only deepen his agony once the darkness claims him._

"Okay… I start by activating the spell card Heart of the Underdog. I'll also lay one card face-down. That's all for now."

Jimu drew and studied his hand. He decided to start simple and save his best moves in case something went wrong. "I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, and use her to attack your life points directly."

_I can sense the boy's confusion, as well as that of his sister and your uncle. They did not expect you to be using monsters of light._

That was exactly what Jimu had intended. He was known for his mastery of dark decks and knew that to defeat his uncle, he would have to alter his strategy. Assuming Daichi had helped Yoshi tweak his deck, the strategy might still be useful.

Yoshi shrugged off the attack. "At this point in the duel, life points are irrevelent."

"You mean irrelevant, and yes, your lost life points are the least of your worries. I set a card of my own and end my turn. Now Lumina's effect forces me to send three cards from my deck to my graveyard." He discarded Charge of the Light Brigade, Allure of Darkness, and Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior.

Yoshi drew and immediately showed Jimu his card. "I drew Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Since he's a normal monster, I can activate Heart of the Underdog's effect, allowing me to draw again." He did so. "Luster Dragon. I draw again."

_Normal monsters… an interesting strategy. He may have card advantage for now, but our more powerful monsters will shatter them to pieces._

"I'll summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, and use it to destroy your Lumina."

He had done exactly what Jimu wanted him to do. Their lifepoints now stood 7000 to 7600.

"Now I'll use the spell card Two-Man Cell Battle so that I can summon another level four monster at the end of each of my turns. I'll use it on Luster Dragon."

Yoshi was now up by two monsters, but that didn't matter. The Prince was about to unleash a combo that would, in all likelihood, bring the duel to a quick finish.

"Your Heart of the Underdog is a very powerful card, Yoshi. I have a similar one in my deck. I activate Card of Safe Return, which allows me to draw whenever I summon a monster from my graveyard. Allow me to demonstrate by activating my trap card, Glorius Illusion, which summons Lumina back to the field." He took another card. "But that's only the beginning. By discarding one useless card, I activate Lumina's special ability, summoning Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, from the grave. This allows me to draw yet another card."

_Excellent. We still have five cards in our hand._

"Now I begin my battle phase. Garoth, destroy his Winged Dragon." The hologram of his Lightsworn Warrior acted out his command, while Jimu kept a wary eye on Yoshi's face-down card. Whatever it was, it apparently couldn't save his monster.

The Prince also had Lumina on the field, but she wasn't strong enough to overcome Yoshi's Luster Dragon. "I set one card and end my turn. Now, listen carefully. Lumina's effect sends three cards from my deck to my graveyard." Nothing useful. "This triggers Garoth's effect, allowing me to send two more cards." The first was one of his two Dark Armed Dragons. Not a good card to have in the graveyard. The second was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast.

"Perfect. Sending Wulf from the deck to the grave automatically summons him to the field. Thanks to Card of Safe Return, I get to draw another card. But that's not all. When a Lightsworn monster is discarded via Garoth's effect. I get to draw yet again."

_And with each card we draw, the power of our hand increases!_

Yoshi didn't seem to be paying attention. "Dark Armed Dragon? Why would you use that in a deck filled with light monsters?"

"It's not a lightsworn deck," Kira shouted from the sidelines. "He must be using some weird combination of light and dark monsters. Be careful."

She had hit his strategy dead-on. Jimu had combined the powers of his most powerful dark deck with Kira's lightsworns. With two of the most powerful deck-types in existence on his side, he was virtually unstoppable.

Yoshi began his turn. "I drew Nin-Ken Dog, allowing me to draw again." He revealed this card as well. "Mad Lobster. I draw yet again. Hm… Okay, I'll destroy your Garoth with my Luster Dragon. I'll then set another monster and use Two-Man Cell Battle to summon the level four Insect Knight, ending my turn."

_Let Yoshi summon all the monsters he wants. We have the perfect trap to counter his pitiful army._

Prince Jimu was already two steps ahead of his ally. He currently had Wulf on the field and one Dark Armed Dragon in his graveyard. In order to summon the second from his hand, he needed to get rid of two more dark monsters.

"I summon Armageddon Knight to the field, using its special ability to send one monster from my deck directly to my graveyard. I choose Plaguespreader Zombie. Then I'll activate my own trap card, Torrential Tribute, which destroys all monsters on the field."

"Awesome. You've just done me a favor, Prince, by getting rid of the only defenses you had."

"I think this next card may change your mind. Because now I can summon one of the most powerful monsters in my deck: Dark Armed Dragon!"

Now he could use Dark Armed Dragon's effect to destroy all three of Yoshi's spell and trap cards, leaving him wide open for a direct attack.

"Not so fast, your Highness. Because I have a Torrential Tribute of my own."

A weak "No…" escaped from Jimu's lips. Dark Armed Dragon, the only monster of the field, was now sent to the graveyard, leaving Jimu with nothing but his Card of Safe Return.

"Not bad, Yoshi. But it'll take more than that to defeat me. Go."

"My pleasure." He proceeded to draw Cyber-Tech Alligator, Thunder Kid, and Great Angus, allowing him to activate Heart of the Underdog every time. Jimu had never faced a duelist so lucky. But he wasn't worried yet.

"I activate that Ancient Rules spell card, which lets me special summon Cyber-Tech Alligator from my hand. I'll also summon Thunder Kid, and use them both to attack, leaving you with barely half your life points left. I'll set a card and end my turn by activating Two-Man Cell Battle yet again, bringing Great Angus to the field. You see, Prince, no matter how quickly you destroy my monsters, I'll just bring them back stronger than ever."

"Let's see you recover from this. By returning one card in my hand, I can special summon Plaguespreader Zombie from my graveyard. And, you guessed it, Card of Safe Return allows me to draw back that very same card. Now I tribute my zombie to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch."

The level six monster appeared on the battlefield, his indigo armor and torn cape almost as dark as the Prince's own. "My monster brings with him a sphere of dark energy, which completely obliterates your Cyber-Tech Dragon, bypassing your graveyard and removing him from the game completely. This makes my shadow monarch the most powerful monster in play. Now Caius, destroy his Great Angus."

Jimu knew he was playing recklessly, daring to attack while Yoshi still had a face-down card, but he couldn't allow his opponent to build up his forces any more than he already had. He had to force Yoshi to play the best cards in his hand, so that when Jimu activated his own trump card, there would be nothing standing between him and his victory.

Yoshi drew his next card. "I drew Sabersaurus… and Charcoal Inpachi… and Giga Gagagino, one of the most powerful monsters in my deck. Now let's see what I can do with them."

Jimu crossed his arms and waited eagerly. No matter what Yoshi did, Jimu would be able to undo it all during his next turn.

"I reveal my face-down League of Uniform Nomenclature trap card. This allows me to choose one of my monsters and summon any other copies of it from my deck." There was only one monster on his side of the field: the embarrassingly weak Thunder Kid. Brining a second to the field made little difference. "Now I'll sacrifice both of my Thunder Kids to summon Gogiga Gagagino. Your Caius is no match for his 2950 attack points."

"True enough. My turn now?"

"No, I use Two-Man Cell Battle to summon Sabersaurus. Now it's your turn."

"Good. You've put up a good fight, Yoshi, so don't feel too bad about what I'm about to do. I use my Foolish Burial spell to send Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to my graveyard. Now that I have four different Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon yet another ultimate dragon. Welcome to the battle, Judgment Dragon."

It was a cruel twist of fate that Yoshi was about to lose to one of his sister's favorite monsters. But hurting his feelings meant nothing to Jimu if it would save the lives of his people. "Now, by giving up 1000 life points, Judgment Dragon can destroy _every_ other card on the field. That leaves you open for a direct attack."

Yoshi took the destruction of all of his cards a lot better than Jimu had anticipated. He had to give the kid credit; most duelists would've turned tail and ran long ago. "Good move. But I'm still winning."

"The score's 2950 to 2800, and like you said, life points really aren't that important. Judgment Dragon sends four more cards to my graveyard." Among them were another Lumina and Phantom of Chaos, a dark monster. Those might come in useful later. "It's your turn now, Yoshi. But now that your Heart of the Underdog is gone, you can only draw one card."

He did, and smiled. "You really should be careful not to jinx yourself, Prince. Because look what I just drew." It was another Heart of the Underdog. "I'd be stupid to have only one of them in my deck. Just be glad I didn't get two on the field at once."

_It still doesn't matter. It will take a miracle for him to defeat our Judgment Dragon._

Jimu wasn't so sure. The kid was confident, and he was smart enough to know when he didn't stand a chance. That meant he had another trick up his sleeve.

"I summon Charcoal Inpachi, in attack mode."

_Has he lost his mind? That monster only has 100 attack points._

Jimu remained silent, watching and waiting.

"Now I'll equip it with the Amulet of Ambition spell card." There it was. When a normal monster equipped with Amulet of Ambition battled a higher-level monster, it gained 500 attack points times the difference in levels. "That makes my monster more than strong enough to defeat your Judgment Dragon."

Jimu watched in awe as one of the most powerful monsters in his deck was destroyed by a burning stump.

_No! For that, we shall make him pay._

For once, Jimu agreed with Obsidiusk. The kid had gotten exceptionally lucky in this duel, but that didn't change the fact that he was winning. It was almost as if fate was on Yoshi's side… but no, that was not possible. It was Jimu's destiny to control the six Crystal Dragons, no one's else's.

He picked up a card and saw that fate had not let him down, for he had drawn exactly the card he needed. But before he could use it, he would have to find some way to get rid of Charcoal Inpachi and its Amulet of Ambition. There were four other cards in his hand, but none of them were powerful enough to defeat the combo either. "I pass my turn."

With only 2200 life points left, Jimu was taking a big risk. But as long Charcoal Inpachi wasn't battling another monster, its attack remained at 100 points. It was not impossible that Yoshi would summon a monster with 2100 attack points, but given what Jimu had seen so far, it was a risk he was willing to take.

Whatever card Yoshi drew apparently wasn't a normal monster, because he didn't activate Heart of the Underdog. "Then I'll just set one card and attack with Charcoal Inpachi. Go."

Jimu drew the very card he needed. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, which allows me to destroy one spell or trap card on the field. I could destroy your Heart of the Underdog, but at this point, I'll settle for Amulet of Ambition."

_Now he can do nothing to stop us. Finish him!_

Despite the pressure of Obsidiusk's will, the Prince refused to play his best move just yet. Now while Yoshi still had a face-down card on the field. Either choice presented great risk, but doing nothing had paid off once; perhaps it would pay off again. "I end my turn."

"Wow, five cards in your hand and they're all useless? Suit yourself." He picked up a card, and Jimu prayed that it wasn't another Cyber-Tech Alligator, or something equally devastating. "I drew Gene-Warped Warwolf, the most powerful level four monster there is."

But the Prince did not mind. In fact, the card fit into his strategy quite nicely.

"I also drew Opressed People, so I'll use Heart of the Underdog to draw yet again. Now I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf to the field. Together, he and my Charcoal Inpachi will reduce your life points to zero. And because you have no cards on the field, there's nothing you can do to stop me. This duel's over."

Prince Jimu stared his opponent in the eyes and grinned. "Go ahead. Attack me."

"Your wish is my command. Gene-Warped Warwolf, you're up first."

This made Jimu even happier. He still would've been safe if Charcoal Inpachi had attacked first, but Yoshi's mistake would give him an even bigger advantage. And having only 100 life points left would make winning all that more exciting.

"Now, Charcoal Inpachi, finish him!"

"Not yet. Your Warwolf's attack took away 2000 of my lifepoints, and that allows me to summon from my hand a card that has saved me in many, many duels. May I introduce you to Gorz the Emissary of Darkness!"

The warrior materialized on the battlefield, clad in armor of silver and black and wielding a mighty blade of darkness. His 2700 attack points were more than enough to stop Charcoal Inpachi in its tracks.

"And that's not all. The 2000 damage I took allows me to activates Gorz's second ability, summoning one Emissary of Darkness Token to my side of the field, with attack equal to your Warwolf. Are you ready to accept defeat?"

"Not when I'm so close to victory. I'll change Charcoal Inpachi to defense mode and set another card face-down."

"I'm afraid that won't save you." The Prince drew his card: Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon. He could not think of a more fitting monster to end this duel. "Watch and learn how a true champion duels. I summon Phantom of Chaos. By removing a monster from my graveyard, Phantom of Chaos gains that monster's effect. I choose Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner. I now discard one card to activate her effect, summoning a real Lumina. And now I'll discard one more card to activate use this Lumina's ability, summoning one of my Wulfs. Now, by sacrificing my three monsters of Light, I can summon Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon!"

"Look again, Prince. Your Phantom of Chaos may have Lumina's effect, but it's still a Dark-attribute monster."

"Oh, I wasn't counting my Phantom. Or didn't I mention? My Emissary of Darkness Token is, strangely enough, a creature of ligh- AHHH!" Before he could even finish his sentence, Jimu's mind flooded with anguish. He dropped the card to the ground and fell to his knees, cradling his head in his hands.

_NO! I am Ambriliant, God of all that is righteous in this world, and you shall not use me to accomplish your wicked deeds! You've forced my honorable servants to fight alongside your corrupt abominations, you've summoned the Emissary of Darkness himself to the battlefield, and you've placed all your trust in the hands of my dark brother, the foulest creature ever spat out upon this earth, but I, Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon, refuse to obey you. You may own me, Prince, but you cannot force me to fight for you!_

"Yes…. I…. can."

Jimu called on the power of Obsidiusk to bring his brother in line, and though Jimu's mind felt like it had literally been seared in two, the pain was a more-than-acceptable cost. He needed Ambriliant to end this battle; a rebellious spirit would not stop him now.

He could almost visualize the two dragon's fighting within his mind, the forces of light and darkness themselves, but the only physical manifestation of their conflict was a renewed strength in Jimu's legs.

_I can… barely… hold him off_.Obsidiusk sounded as if it was taking all his might to withhold Ambriliant's power. _Quickly… do what must be done._

Though every muscle in his body seemed to resist the effort, Jimu managed to pick up Amrbiliant's card and, straining against the torment, he rose to his feet. He approached an open monster card slot in the podium's controls, lifted the arm holding the card, and-

-with a sudden unleash of energy, Ambriliant overpowered Obsidiusk for the briefest of moments. And in that split second, Jimu lost control of all motor functions, forced to surrender to the dragon of light.

Ambriliant was exhausted by the effort and now his brother easily managed to subdue him. But by the time Jimu had regained mastery of his body, it was just in time to see his Ambriliant card land on the ground a hundred feet below.

"No! Daichi, I command you to lower this podium so that I may retrieve my card." It felt almost as if Obsidiusk was now speaking through him, but Jimu's rage was so great that he did not care.

His uncle shrugged. "If that is what you wish, Jimu, but I must warn you: if you lower your podium, you forfeit the duel."

"Then I _demand_ that you bring me my card! NOW!" 

The King's features hardened and he laced his hands around his walking stick. "No."

_Forget him. Ambriliant's power is still ours and once this duel his over, so will be the power of the other four Crystal Dragons. You claim to be the best duelist in the world, Jimu, so prove it! Finish this once and for all!_

"Do not think this saves you, Yoshi." For once, the boy looked appropriately terrified. "This is the Beginning of the End for you, and that just so happens to be the name of the spell card I'm now activating. By removing five dark monsters from my graveyard, I can draw three new cards." He drew Shrink, Ring of Magnetism, and… Obsidiusk.

"Before I play any of these new cards, I think I'll conduct my battle phase. I have a full field of monsters, and they're about to win me this duel. Wulf, start by destroying his warwolf!"

Yoshi shook his head. "I activate the trap Waboku. Now I take no battle damage and my monsters can't be destroyed this turn."

"Fine," Jimu spat. "You're only delaying the inevitable. I equip the spell Ring of Magnetism to Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. This reduces his attack to 2200, but means that you can't attack any of my other monsters. Now I set one card and end my turn. Make yours quick."

"Oh, I will. I summon Oppressed People in defense mode. Then I activate my spell DNA-"

Now it was Yoshi's turn to cease mid-sentence, but unlike Jimu, he didn't appear to be in any pain. His face was overcome with a dazed look, and he said, "But I can summon you and… Then that's a risk we'll have… Of course I trust you, but… Alright. Alright… I'll try. Listen to me, all of you. The only way we can win this is by working together. Diamair, you want change, you can have it: I change all my monsters to defense mode. Hematera, you want stability, so I'll refrain from activating my Fissure spell card." Now Yoshi looked to be in pain: he raised one hand to his forehead and sweat began covering his face. He gritted his teeth and kept talking, "I know, Rubustion. You want destruction… fine, I'll let _him_ destroy _my_ monsters. And you, Saphrine, want peace, so I end my turn without attacking."

The Prince tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened, starting at the beginning Yoshi's last trap card was obviously DNA Transplant. That would allow him to change all his monsters into any attribute he desired, meaning that if he had any one of his four dragons in his hand, he could easily summon them and win the duel.

Or perhaps not.

Jimu typed a command into his consol, allowing him to analyze the cards in Yoshi's graveyard. There were four Wind monsters there, the most of any attribute, which would've given Diamair 4200 attack points, assuming Yoshi had her in his hand. If he'd summoned her, she would've attacked Gorz, Jimu would've activated his face-down Shrink card… and that would've cut her attack to 2100, destroying her and leaving Yoshi wide open for a direct attack.

If the boy had summoned any of the crystal dragons, he would've lost the duel. But by holding back, he had survived to fight one more turn. That must've been why he was talking to himself. Diamair must've convinced him to not summon any of the dragons, but first he had to appease all four of the gods fighting to influence his decisions. And he'd succeeded, forcing four dragons to work together when Jimu couldn't even control two.

He was jealous; there was no denying it. And there was only one way to vent his anger.

"It's my turn. And I've drawn the spell card Allure of Darkness, which I now activate." This move could be the end of everything, one way or the other. All five of his monster card zones were currently filled, meaning that he needed a card that could replace one of his light monsters with a dark one. The best card for such a purpose would be a one-tribute Dark-type monster, but all of his Caius the Shadow Monarchs were already in his graveyard.

Allure of Darkness allowed him to draw two cards, but then he had to remove one Dark-attribute monster in his hand from play. If none of the cards he drew qualified, that meant Obsidiusk would be gone for the duration of the game.

He drew his first card. It was Plaguespreader Zombie, which would suit the requirement of Allure of Darkness. But unless he could draw a more useful card, it didn't mean anything.

He picked up a second card and smiled.

"I remove from play Plaguespreader Zombie. And I've drawn Monster Gate, which allows me to tribute one monster I control and then draw cards until I get another that I can special summon. I tribute Lumina, Lightsworn summoner."

It all came down to this. He needed to draw a dark-type monster to summon Obsidiusk, and there were precious few left in his deck.

He drew Necro Gardna. Perfect.

"I special summon Necro Gardna in defense mode. Now I tribute him, along with Phantom of Chaos and Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, to unleash my ultimate monster. Behold Obsidiusk! The Black Crystal Dragon!"

He raised the card to the sky and the darkness above descended upon the stadium. And, claiming the souls of his servants, Obsidiusk emerged, his full fury unleashed at last. Jimu felt a shiver run down his spine and an insidious change come over him.

_You have dueled well, my Lord. Allow me to finish this pathetic fool._

And Jimu did. At this point, he no longer cared about the boy's fate. Yoshi should not have stood between the Prince and his destiny, and for his interference, he would dearly pay. Jimu felt his mouth move, though he was not the one controlling it.

"Now, child, I am in control. Prepare to face power beyond your comprehension. But first, go forth my minions: Emissary of Darkness Token, destroy his Oppressed People. Wulf, Lightsworn beast, obliterate his Warwolf. Now I, Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon, will annihilate Charcoal Inpachi."

At once, the dragon and the two holograms made their assault, and Yoshi's small army was shattered to pieces. It was his turn now, but he was wide open for a direct attack with little hope of recovery.

He drew and revealed the card: Nin-Ken Dog. "I activate Heart of the Underdog to draw another card." He did, and set it on the field. "I then summon Nin-Ken Dog and end my turn." As he said this, Yoshi's voice was devoid of any semblance of hope, resigned to the fate that awaited him.

Jimu watched his own hand draw, though he had not even told it to move. He drew Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, but that didn't matter now; there were already enough monsters on the field to destroy Yoshi's remaining lifepoints. The only variable left was his face-down card, and Jimu doubted it would be enough to save Nin-Ken Dog.

But wait… something wasn't right. Why had Yoshi summoned Nin-Ken Dog in attack mode, risking his life points? He still had nearly 3000 life points yet; summoning a monster in defense mode might've spared him for another turn. Was it just a rookie mistake? The move of a boy who had given up in the face of impending doom?

Yoshi may have given up all hope, but his sister surely hadn't. Jimu could see her on the sidelines, and though she was too far away for him to hear her cries, he could see her mouth moving, cheering her brother on, as King Daichi looked on with a face devoid of all expression. It was a look Jimu had seen often before, whenever his uncle was risking the turnout of a duel on a single card.

Jimu had a sudden flashback to his childhood, and at once knew exactly what was about to happen.

He tried to warn Obsidiusk, but found himself unable to speak. His mouth was no longer under his control. Still, if he could hear Obsidiusk's thoughts, then the inverse was also true. He concentrated on what he knew, begging his dragon to-

Begging? Why should he have to beg anyone? He was Prince Jimu of Asuka, and Obsidiusk was _his_ dragon; _he _was the one in command. He ordered his greatest monster to cease its attack before it was too late, but all he received in return was a menacing laugh.

_Jimu, you fool. I am in control now. Watch in silence as I destroy this child and earn the cards of my brothers and sisters. No mortal can control our combined power, but I am no mortal. I am Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon, the god of dominance, and under my limitless power, the world will know an age of endless darkness!_

Jimu could not allow that to happen. How had he been so blind? Obsidiusk had tricked him, lured him with false promises of peace and unity. It had all been a lie; Jimu knew that from the beginning, but he had always assumed that when their wills inevitably clashed, his would emerge victorious. But that turned out to be the ultimate lie. He was unable to even control one dragon; there was no chance he would ever be able to control all six. Not only had he failed in his quest to end the war and save his people, his mistake had doomed the entire world.

He had to fight back. Overpowering the spirit of a god seemed hopeless, but if he had learned one thing in all his years of playing Duel Monsters, it was that even in the most desperate of situations, there was always some small hope left. So Jimu prepared his own willpower to do mental battle with Obsidiusk, to claim back his mind as his own, to…

To what? What would any of it matter? He could prevent Obsidiusk from attacking, win the duel, but then he would have to deal with all six Crystal Dragons. Such limitless power would surely destroy him, leaving Obsidiusk free to complete his plan anyway. The only way Jimu could win was by doing nothing. The only way he could save the world was by refusing to fight.

So he relaxed, calmed his spirit, and watched the end of the duel unfold.

"Now," Obsidiusk declared, in the voice of the Prince, "I use my Emissary of Darkness Token to destroy your Nin-Ken Dog, leaving you open for my direct attack. Not only will I finish your life points, but this will be the end of you, child, and too merciful it will be, for death will spare you the pain of existing in the world of infinite darkness I shall create. Prepare, puny mortal, to suffer the wrath of the most powerful being in existence! You cannot stop me. You cannot defeat me. I, Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon, shall be your doom!"

The immense dragon charged forward, ready to annihilate everything in its path, its mouth overflowing with dark energies…

…and Yoshi revealed his trap card. "Perhaps I can't destroy you, Obsidiusk. But you are nothing without a body to control, and I _can_ destroy Jimu. I activate Magical Cylinders!"

The beam of darkness that Obsidiusk had just unleashed now rebounded, bypassing the dragon entirely and connecting with Jimu's body. But the Prince felt no pain, for he was safe within the confines of his own mind. It was Obsidiusk who suffered, Obsidiusk who bore the attack, Obsidiusk who was, if not destroyed, at least defeated for a time.

"You lose, Obsidiusk," Jimu said, once again in control. "And I win."

But his eyes told him otherwise. For, as the podiums lowered to the level of the battlefield, a look of unlimited strain passed into Yoshi's face, and when he spoke, his voice was not his own.

"You lose, Jimu. For me, this battle was a win-win situation. Because now this child is the rightful owner of all six Crystal Dragons, of power beyond all reckoning, and now I claim his body as my own. The powers of my siblings are under my control, and with them, I shall enslave the entire world!"


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Until now, Yoshi had not known the meaning of agony. His very soul felt rotten, torn, a plaything in the hands of six vengeful gods. What world remained beyond his mind, he did not know, nor care. For the power within him was infinity greater than that without; the only battlefield that now mattered was his own mind, and he was not even a combatant.

No longer was his mind the white realm that Diamair had created. That world had been compromised, tainted with searing flames and dark seas, torn by jagged mountains and raging winds, bathed in blinding light and crushed by impending darkness. Within his soul dwelt the contradiction of all things, six spirits trapped within him and freed through him, ancient gods of diametric opposites, forced together as one.

In the center of this mental world, all that remained of Yoshi withered and wailed, huddled against the natural forces battling around him. The Crystal Dragons were fighting, brother versus brother, sister versus brother, every dragon for him or herself. They screamed at one another in overpowering thought, each striving in vain to convince their siblings to their cause.

Loudest and most dangerous of them all was Obsidiusk, who alone seemed as if he might stand some chance of controlling the others. He demanded that they bow before him, surrounding their might so that he might become lord of all existence.

But Diamair rebelled, dismissing his temptations of changing the world and exposing them as the empty promises they were, for under his rule, the planet would surely know an age of endless darkness. Without continuing change, she argued, without the ability to improve and adapt, all life was doomed.

Saphrine, too, refused to cooperate with her dark brother, for his vision was the furthest thing from peace imaginable, save Rubustion's dreams of complete annihilation, which were also incompatible with Obsidiusk's quest to control the world, for if all things were destroyed, there would be nothing left to rule. Nor did Hematera fall for the dark dragon's pleas; she saw quite clearly what the creation of his boundless empire would mean to all life on earth, how it would ruin any chances humanity might have of ever achieving stability.

But it was the final dragon, Ambriliant, the dragon of light, who remained the most opposed to his brother's quest. He had opposed Obsidiusk from the very beginning, and now he denied him even the pleasure of debate, instead focusing his attention on the one spirit who had, until now, lain forgotten within the deepest recesses of his own mind.

_Yoshi, I need you to listen to me. I need you to hear me, and obey. You must take back control of your body before our strife extends to the world beyond, tearing it apart. I can use my powers to free you for the briefest of moments, but I cannot tell you what you must then do. You are surrounded by good people; look to your sister and the others for guidance. I will hold off my siblings for as long as I can, but you must act quickly. Now is the moment of reckoning, and for the sake of all that is good in this world, you must succeed._

Before he knew what was happening, Yoshi found himself back in the physical world, overwhelmed with the sudden sensations: the cold of the early morning air, the sound of his own screams, the taste of blood and dried sweat, and the feel of many hands clawing wildly at him. He lay trembling on the lowered dueling podium, and in the starless night he could see dark figures surrounding him, trying to hold him still and speaking words that he could not comprehend.

For a brief second he spotted the face of his sister, overcome with grief and worry, and he could not help but smile. Then the moment passed as Kira was knocked to the side to make way for a new arrival, a face that almost made Yoshi wish he had remained in his mind, where the dragons yet continued their war.

Prince Jimu fell to his knees and wrapped an arm around Yoshi's shoulders, holding him steady. With his other gloved hand, he held the back of Yoshi's head so that their eyes locked. And to his surprise, Yoshi beheld not malice, not hatred, not a cold, heartless murderer, but merely a man, a man who understood better than anyone else what Yoshi was going through, and wanted to ease his suffering, no matter what the cost.

"Yoshi," he said. "Yoshi, look at me."

Obsidiusk made another bid for dominance of Yoshi's soul and it took all his effort to keep the monster at bay. When he came to again, the Prince was still talking.

"…trust me. I'll do what needs to be done, I promise. I'm ready to repent for the terrible mistakes I've made. Please, Yoshi, it's the only way. Give me the cards."

The cards. The six Crystal Dragon cards that were, somehow, clutched in Yoshi's left fist. The vessels that contained the souls of the dragon-gods. Yes, that was the answer. If he gave them to Jimu, he would be rid of this infinite torment, no matter what else happened.

With his very last bit of resolve, Yoshi pried open his fist. With lightning-fast reflexes, the Prince grabbed the six cards and as soon as the last one left his hand, Yoshi felt as if the weight of the entire world had been lifted from him. The burden of the dragons was no longer his; whatever fate was in store for the world now lay with Jimu.

The Prince stumbled backward one step and with a terrible scream raised the cards to the sky. In some ancient language beyond Yoshi's comprehension, he began to chant and as he did, it seemed that the power of the dragons began to exude from him. His feet lifted off the ground, his arms extended rigid to either side, and as the chant ascended into one last, insufferable, all-encompassing scream, his eyes rolled back into his head, there was a flash of blinding light, and the world itself seemed to halt.

Yoshi's eyes had reflexively closed against the blast, and it took three full breaths before he gathered the strength to open them. Kira, King Daichi, and the rest of those present had all been knocked off their feet, but one woman quickly rose again, rushing to where the Prince's body lay motionless, the Crystal Dragon cards still clutched within his right hand.

"My Lord!" she screamed, tearing his cape away from him, searching desperately for any sign of a pulse. "My Lord! Speak to me, please, wake up."

It took a minute for Yoshi to recognize the woman as the officer he had battled what seemed like an eternity ago, but was in reality less than a day. Captain Minami was her name, if he remembered correctly.

And the Prince responded to her pleas, though when he spoke his voice was faint, and his words were those of a dying man. "Yoshi…"

Minami aimed a sharp finger at him. "You, come here!"

Kira helped her brother scramble to his knees and crawl the few feet to the Prince. Jimu's eyes were open, though they looked distant, unseeing.

"Yoshi…" He uttered a series of noises that seemed a mixture of wheezing and amused laughter. The hand that held the Crystal Dragon cards began trembled. "Take these…," began his final words, "Keep… them… safe."

And then Prince Jimu was gone.

Save for the wordless wails of Minami, all was silent for a long time. Then Kira helped Yoshi to finally stand again, and he turned to King Daichi, unsure how to word the question he wanted to ask.

"I don't know," said the aged king. "But I think, somehow, that we are safe now."

At last, Captain Minami seemed to regain her military composure, wiping her tears from her swollen eyes. She remained on the ground, cradling her prince's limp form, but looked up toward them. "He gave his life to entrap the dragons in their cards. Your father, Yoshi, did the same thing, many years ago. It was through his sacrifice that the world was saved, for a time. Perhaps this time, the peace will be permanent."

So that was what had happened to their father. Had he not just witnessed Jimu's death, Yoshi wouldn't have believed her. But it made sense; the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. When Professor Hiroka and the Prince had freed the dragon-gods, the former had trapped their spirits in the six cards at the cost of his life, a sacrifice the latter had now renewed.

"There will be peace," Daichi added. "That duel was broadcast live to all of Asuka, as was its aftermath. The entire country just saw their Prince give his life to protect them, to undo all the harm he had unleashed. Perhaps we can all learn something from the example of my nephew."

"Country," Captani Minami repeated. "Don't you mean countries?"

"No. Asuka must be reunited once more. I cannot speak for my brother, but after the death of his son, I doubt he wishes to go on with this pointless war any more than I do. I don't know how, but we'll resolve our differences and restore peace to all Asuka. It was Jimu's dream, and through his death, we shall make it a reality."

The news made Yoshi very happy, but it was still not the foremost thought on his mind. He bent down and picked up the six cards. They felt strange in his hand, light, as if they were once again just normal Duel Monsters cards. But he knew the spirits resided in them still, dormant, but not destroyed.

"What should I do with these?"

"They should be destroyed," Kira said.

"I can't. These cards are the homes of the gods now. They're indestructible."

"Then I have a better idea." Minami closed the lids of Jimu's eyes before standing. "The power of the dragons was awakened when Jimu battled Takuni. If my understanding is correct, they can only be reawakened through a duel. So I say we hide them somewhere they can never be found again."

"Where do you suggest?" Despite all that he had just seen her go through, Yoshi wasn't sure he trusted Minami quite yet.

"None of us can know. I can pilot one of the choppers. I'll take you and you alone and fly out over the sea. At some point, you can drop them all into the ocean, where they won't be found for a very, very long time, if ever. I'll be piloting the chopper, so I won't have any idea when you drop them."

"I think that's a good idea," Kira said. "Only I'm coming along too. To make sure you don't try anything funny."

The Captain nodded. "If it's okay with your brother, it's okay with me."

"You should get going now," Daichi said. "Before anyone has a chance to change their minds. I'll declare an immediate ceasefire and order the skies to be kept clear."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Yoshi said. "For all your help."

The old man smiled. "It is you we should be thanking, Yoshi. It was your courage, your trust in yourself that allowed you to stand up to Jimu, and give him the defeat that returned him to his senses. All of Asuka is in your debt. When you return from your errand, I'll see what we can do to begin repaying it."

Too embarrassed to say anything, Yoshi just bowed, slipped the cards into his pocket, and turned to follow Captain Minami and Kira to one of the helicopters. Minami found a small strongbox in the cargo compartment and handed it to Yoshi.

"You can put the cards in here. This should be heavy enough to send them to the bottom of the sea."

He checked the box for hidden locator devices before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the cards.

Minami handed him a key. "This is the only copy. I think it would be best if you kept it."

"Thanks, but if it's all the same to you, I think I'll throw it overboard too, just to be safe."

She nodded. "Suit yourself. I'm going to go get it started."

As Minami climbed into the cockpit of the large military craft, Kira and Yoshi made their way into the back. Yoshi pulled out the cards, locked them in the strongbox, and put the key in his pocket.

Kira rubbed his arm and gave him an encouraging smile. "You were magnificent back there. That was the best duel I've seen in my entire life."

He could feel himself blushing, but knew she didn't mean it. "Thanks, Kira."

"No, I'm serious. This makes you the best duelist in the world, you know. As soon as we get home, I'm challenging you to a duel so that I can reclaim that title."

He laughed at that and slipped his hand into his pocket, gently touching the one card still there. Minami had said that the only way to release the dragons again was for two of them to do battle, and that meant there was no harm in him keeping just one. This time, however, he silently promised himself that he would never, ever use Diamair again in a duel.

As the helicopter lifted off the ground, a sliver of sun cut into the night sky, and the morning breeze brought with it the scent of a well-earned peace.


End file.
